Why Do Thugs Fall In Love?
by Bethany-Q
Summary: In the ring John Cena's always played the odds and won. But how will his odds play out when he falls for a Raw diva at the wrong time? Characters include: Cena, Lita, Shane McMahon, Triple H & Stephanie. Cameos by Candice, Ric Flair and Edge.
1. Chapter 1 repost

**Chapter 1**

As Lita finished stretching, one of Mr. McMahon's assistants approached her carrying a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

"Miss Dumas, delivery for you." The intern said as he handed the flowers over and then turned to leave.

Lita studied the flowers briefly and took in the fresh aroma. She had no clue who could be sending her flowers. At the moment, she wasn't attached to anyone in particular. Her first thought was to assume they were from a fan since there wasn't a card attached to them, but then she noticed hidden within the bouquet was a single white rose.

"Matt?" Lita said to herself quietly.

When Matt Hardy and Lita were together, Matt used to leave white roses for her on days he knew she was feeling tired or unhappy. He'd leave them in her gym bag, on the car seat, in her hotel room on the pillow, just random places and always unexpectedly. It was one of the qualities Lita loved most about Matt. He always managed to make her smile. Unfortunately for the both of them though that just wasn't enough.

"Wow, look at those. Secret admirer?" A man's voice called out.

Lita recognized the deep, sexy voice almost immediately.

"Not exactly." Lita said as she turned toward the man before her, John Cena.

John raised an eyebrow. When he arrived to the WWE, Lita was the first woman who really caught his eye. He loved her moxi, her attitude and her work ethic. He found almost everything about her to be sultry. Unfortunately for him, Lita had always been off limits, and John definitely didn't want to get in the middle of whatever drama she had going on with Matt and Edge. Lucky for him though, all of that drama is behind her now. Apparently, all parties involved have moved on. Matt is seeing one of the divas from Smackdown, Edge is back with his wife and Lita has been officially single for months now.

As John smiled at Lita, Lita noticed a pretty good shiner underneath his left eye.

"Ouch. What happened there?" She asked.

"Triple H. I kind of ran into his fist during a match. I'm pretty sure he messed up the spot on purpose." John replied.

It was no secret that there was no love lost between Triple H and John. As John's star began to rise, Triple H was becoming second fiddle at main events. He didn't like it at all, especially since John was almost half his age and just an upstart. In Triple H's mind, he hadn't paid his dues so to speak. Problem is, both Stephanie and Vince McMahon loved John. To them, he was the future. Triple H was congenial to John for the most part since he knew Stephanie would be pissed if he ever really mistreated him, but whenever given the opportunity, Triple H enjoyed giving John a hard time. Especially recently.

"Shane book the match?" Lita asked as she rolled her eyes knowing the answer would be yes.

John nodded. Not only did Triple H have issues with John, but Shane McMahon had bigger issues. It was obvious to everyone in the back that Shane didn't like the fact that someone his sister had hand picked was becoming such a superstar. In Shane's mind, he was the heir apparent, the prince to the throne. He did not want to have to share that title with anyone, especially not his younger, baby sister. The fact that Triple H got a little rough with John in their matches, and the fact that a feud was now brewing between the two, was all directed back to Shane. Since returning to Raw, Shane was doing everything in his power to make John's life a living hell. As a matter of fact, John was convinced that was the only reason Shane was back on Raw at all.

"Why is Shane such an asshole?" Lita asked.

"Who knows? I just try to do my thing and ignore chumps like that. It's all good." John replied with a smile.

If Lita hadn't noticed before, she noticed now. John had a beautiful smile. Next to Edge, he probably had the prettiest smile she'd ever seen. She also loved John's laid back attitude. If she were in his shoes, she would've told Shane to take his silver spoon and shove it up his pompous ass by now. But John was cool and Lita knew that if and when the time came, John would put Shane O Mac in his place once and for all.

"Well, if Triple H or Shane bother you again, let me know I'll rip them a new one for you." Lita said half jokingly, and then walked away with flowers in hand.

As she left John stared hard at the way she moved. He loved her walk and was wishing the flowers she was carrying were from him. Some day maybe, he thought to himself. Some day maybe.

OOOooooooOOOOOOOooooooooOOo

Shane made his way to The Game with a huge smirk on his face.

"Hey man, nice shot." Shane said.

"You liked that huh? I would have hit him harder but then I'd have to hear it from Steph all the way back to the hotel." Triple H admitted.

Shane rolled his eyes. The Game could be such a pussy sometimes when it came to his baby sister. Regardless, Shane got what he wanted from got Hunter. A message to John.

"Listen, to show you I'm a nice guy and a great brother-in-law, I'm going to book you in a handicap match against Cena. You know, to get you warmed up for Wrestlemania." Shane smirked.

Triple H raised an eyebrow. He never really ever fully trusted Shane. At least not as far as he could throw him.

"Oh yea, and who's my partner going to be?" Triple H asked.

"Me of course." Shane said doing that annoying little shadow boxing dance he's known for.

Triple H rolled his eyes. He knew he'd have to carry Shane throughout the match, but what choice did he have? Shane was the bosses son and family. Triple H was screwed either way.

"Great. Okay though guy", Triple H said to Shane, "but let me handle the actual wrestling part of the match. I'll let you know when to take your shots. I don't want you ruining a perfectly good match for me just so you can get some cheap shots in on Cena." Hunter warned.

Still bouncing up and down like a 10 year old, Shane grinned at Triple H. He couldn't wait to get his hands on Cena in the ring and embarrass him in front of thousands.

A/N: I screwed something up (not in the story, but in the posting), so I'm reposting this chapter. Sorry for the repeated post.) Please review, I'd love to hear from you!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As soon as John heard word that he would be in a handicap match against Shane and Triple H, he wasn't the least bit surprised and had to admit, was a bit annoyed. With Shane in the ring, he prepared himself mentally to expect the worst.

As time drew near for his match, John waited back stage. An intensity in his eyes. John was always pretty intense when preparing for a match, but tonight he was even more focused than anyone back stage had seen before. So when Stephanie McMahon came up behind him for encouragement, he almost jumped out of his skin.

"Good luck John." Stephanie said as she delicately placed a hand on his shoulder.

John spun around almost ready to swing and take out whomever dared bother him before a match.

"Whoa, Steph. You scared the hell out of me." He admitted.

"Listen, sorry for the match you got booked into tonight. Shane approached Vince about it and Vince thought it'd be a great way to get you over with the fans. I think you would have been just fine facing either one alone, but Vince has final say." Steph said.

"Yo, don't sweat it. It'll be fine." John said as he smiled back at the billion dollar princess.

John wasn't about to tell Stephanie how he really felt about the match. He knew this would be a work and that her brother was responsible for it. As John watched Stephanie leave he wandered how she and Shane could even be brother and sister. Sure, Stephanie really couldn't be trusted either, but hell, Shane was a full out selfish punk who used his last name to throw his weight around. Regardless of what Triple H and Shane might try to do to him in the ring, he would not be their rag doll.

ooOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOOOOO

As soon as Cena's music blared from the loud speaker, the fans went crazy. Cena made his way to the ring totally pumped and on fire. The fans could feel his energy and this made them even more electric. Both Triple H and Shane had already made their way to the ring. They watched and waited like birds of prey as John made his way down the ramp. Both had smug looks on there faces. Triple H had the typical "I'm a bad ass and no one can beat me" look, while Shane had the typical half smirk that begged to be wiped off his face.

As John got closer to the ring, he refused to back down. Neither Triple H nor Shane scared him, especially least of all Shane. Triple H was definitely a good competitor, no one could argue that, but his weakness lie in his contempt. John knew if he kept his focus on Triple H, he would get out of the match without a scratch.

Backstage Lita stood near a video monitor waiting for John's match to begin. She was concerned for John the moment she heard about the match. John was a friend of hers. She respected him for all that he had earned in the WWE and how he had earned it. She often thought to herself that had she not been with Matt when John arrived, she and him could be together. As the thought teased into her mind, she couldn't help but to also admire John's well built physic. Shoving her hands into her pockets she dismissed the thought immediately. This was no time to be day dreaming especially while John was about to enter into a snake pit.

With her hands still buried in her front pockets, she remembered that she had left a note there to be read later. Lita had worked out early that morning and when she got back to her car, found a note stuck under the windshield of her rental car. She was in such a hurry to get to the arena, she just grabbed the note and shoved it into her front pocket to look at later. It was only now that she actually remembered it being there.

Lita looked around and then pulled out the note and read it to herself:

"Thinking of you baby. All my love."

That's it, no signature or anything. Again, Lita's first thought was that it was a fan, but the fact that the note said "baby" again made her wander if it could possibly be Matt. Although their relationship had been over for quite some time now, Lita still loved Matt dearly and she knew he still thought of her. True, he was now seeing another diva, but you never forget your first love. Reading the note and remembering the flowers she had received a few days earlier almost made her hope that both were Matt's little way of saying that he wanted her back.

OOooooOOOOOOOOOoooooooo

Back in the arena, John jumped into the ring and immediately he and Triple H went at it, exchanging blows at a rapid rate. Shane tried to get a cheap shot in from behind, but John countered with a right hand slap to his face. That was enough to leave him on the ground holding his chin until the ref could get him out of the ring.

With Shane standing outside the ring now, John and Triple H continued on with their match. All in all it was a pretty good match with each move being executed to perfection. To John's surprise, Triple H made no attempt to tag Shane in, nor did he allow Shane any cheap shots when he had him up against the ropes. This only meant that something really bad was coming John's way.

While the crowd cheered both John and Triple H on, Shane jumped down from the ring apron and started looking for something underneath the ring. Moments later he re-emerged with a chair. As Triple H continued to pound John, and at this point take the advantage, Shane slithered in the ring and stalked John from behind. Without John knowing that he was behind him Shane reared back and slammed John hard across the back with the chair. John immediately crumpled to the ground. The look on Triple H's face was one of surprise and concern as the shot had obviously done some real damage to John. As much as Triple H didn't like John, he still respected him as a wrestler. They both had to endure the same day in and day out abuse to their bodies while trying to entertain a crowd. Something someone like Shane, a non-wrestler, would never understand.

As soon as Shane saw how painful the chair shot to John actually was, he stood above him and smiled. Now that he was on the ground, he could do to him whatever he wanted. He pointed to Triple H to leave the ring as he wanted to take credit for the pin himself. Triple H hesitated, but then obliged. He knew his time would come at Wrestlemania.

Maliciously Shane started kicking John in the gut. The crowd booed, but Shane didn't care. His purpose was to make John look weak and to steal his thunder knowing that Stephanie would be watching. Once Shane had John completely immobile, he started climbing up to the top rope in order to execute a flying elbow into John's chest. But, just as he was about to make a leap downward, Lita came rushing through the crowd and shook Shane off the ropes from behind, causing him to straddle the top rope and wither in pain. As Shane fell hard to the mat, Lita quickly climbed into the ring and grabbed John by the arm, pulling him with all her might until he was safely outside the ring.

Triple H was just as surprised as the fans were to see Lita emerge from the crowd. While the fans cheered both John and Lita on, Triple H gave her a warning stare, more so just to play up to his role as a heel than anything else. He actually thought what Lita had done to Shane was quite funny. It's not like he didn't deserve it.

As Lita and John made their way backstage, Shane had finally regained his senses and stared long and hard at the both of them. It was obvious from his look that he was not happy. Lita was actually quite pleased she managed to piss Shane off as much as she did. While Shane lay on the mat giving her and John a malicious stare, Lita simply smiled and blew him a kiss. This of course pissed Shane off even more as Triple H helped him to his feet.

Even though John was still in a lot of pain, the fact that Lita had been the one to come to his aid made John smile inside. Her hands around his waist shot butterflies through his stomach. He wanted to embrace her, kiss her, make love to her, but at the moment his broken body kept him from doing much more than getting back stage as soon as possible to see a doctor.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

As soon as Cena and Lita were backstage several medical personnel rushed off to Cena's aid. Before dragging him to a nearby table for a quick examination John placed his hand on Lita's cheek delicately.

"Thanks for the save baby. I owe you one." He said to her with a smile on his face.

Lita smiled back, but just as John was escorted away, Lita replayed in her mind what he had just said.

"Did he just call me 'baby'?" She thought to herself.

Lita couldn't help but to smile now both on the inside and the outside. There was no telling what John meant by using the word 'baby'. He'd never said that to her before. Maybe he was just caught up in the moment. Who knows, maybe he was delirious even. Lita tried not to think about it too hard and was actually quite surprised at how much of an affect it had on her. She felt sixteen again as the butterflies in her stomach demanded to be noticed. Before she could indulge too long in the moment though, Triple H and Shane had also made their way backstage.

Triple H gave Lita a warning glance put then simply walked by without a word. Not Shane though, he was pissed.

"Since when did you become John's savior?" Shane asked with venom behind his words.

"Since I decided he shouldn't have to put up with you shit Shane." Lita replied equally harsh.

Shane raised an eyebrow. He was actually quite surprised at the fight Lita had within her, but he didn't appreciate at all the fact the she not only interfered with his match, but that she was now talking to him as if he were her equal when in all reality, he was not. He was a McMahon and would one day be running the WWE.

"Listen Lita, you pull a stunt like that again and I'll have you suspended indefinitely. We'll see how much you want to help your little boy toy then sweetheart." He said condescendingly.

Lita wasn't about to take his shit. Not tonight. Shane deserved what he got and more. It was unfair they way Shane treated some of the wrestlers simply because he didn't like them. She had seen him do the same to Matt, she wasn't about to see it happen again to John.

"Don't you have something better to do than to bully one of your top superstars? Vince and Stephanie don't seem to have a problem with Cena. Just you. What is it Shane? You jealous he's got more balls than you'll ever have?" Lita said with a smile on her face.

Shane looked around first to see if anyone was listening before he responded. It was obvious Lita's remark had angered him even further. Shane stepped closer to Lita and bent down to whisper something in her ear.

"Wouldn't you like to know. I've got more down there than you could ever handle bitch." Shane replied back with a smirk stretched across his face.

As Shane moved away, Lita turned in disgust. She wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk off his face permanently.

It was a well know fact that Shane was somewhat of a womanizer backstage with some of the divas. Hell, he had even been rumored to have slept with quite a few of them, but Lita was smarter and wiser. She saw beyond the money and the power. To her, Shane was nothing more than a spoiled rich kid trapped in a man's body. Lita was one of the few diva's Shane had actually NOT hit on or tried to sleep with. Maybe it was because she never played his game the way some of the diva's like Candice and Torrie did. Instead she simply ignored him when at all possible, but now it seemed this would be next to impossible. Although she had to admit she didn't know Shane all that well and had only spoken to him a few times in the past, she did know he didn't like looking like a fool in front of the WWE faithful. As far as the fans were concerned he was the 'holy shit' king of bumps and high risk maneuvers. The simple fact that Lita so easily ruined one of his spots made him determined to prove even more that he was not a fool, especially not hers.

"If that's supposed to turn me on Shane it did the complete opposite. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check on John." Lita replied and then walked away.

As Lita left, Shane took a long hard look at her ass. Even though Lita wasn't really Shane's type, he had to admit, she had a nice ass. Too bad she had a crappy attitude to go with it. As for John, there was no telling in Shane's mind why any woman would even be remotely interested in a guy like that. As far as he was concerned John was simply a grunt who was about to lose the belt to a man much more worthy than John. A man like Triple H. Hell, Shane thought to himself, if he played his cards right maybe John would lose it to Shane himself.

ooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOO

As the WWE medical team was finishing their exam of John, Lita walked towards him with a trace of annoyance still left on her face. John straightened up a bit as she approached. Even though he was in a lot of pain, he wanted Lita to notice he could take his shots, hoping to impress her just a bit.

"So what's the prognosis?" Lita asked.

"I'll be fine, just real sore in the morning." John replied grimacing a bit as he struggled to sit straight.

"You look upset. What's up?" He asked.

"Oh just a little run in with Shane. It's no big deal. The guy just gets under my skin." Lita admitted.

John laughed to himself.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. And I thought Triple H was the biggest asshole I'd ever met." John replied, bringing a small smile to Lita's face.

John then did something that Lita wasn't expecting in the least. He reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Squeezing it just slightly to let her know that he truly was concerned about how she was feeling. The touch sent shivers down Lita's spine.

"I'm serious girl. If Shane really starts to bother you let me know. I owe you now, remember?" John said, once again smiling in her direction.

Lita looked away almost embarrassed. Even though she was tougher than most the woman on the roster, she could feel herself melting before John's eyes. "So this is what butter feels like" she thought to herself, laughing at how corny she must have looked.

"I will. I promise."

As Lita spoke the words, she could feel herself falling in love. There was just something about John that made her smile. Sure she had noticed it before, his smile, his body and his sex appeal, but she had always been too busy to bother to do anything about it. The past year or so for her was full of drama. The last thing Lita wanted to do now was fall in love again. But as John removed his hand from her shoulder, leaving only the smoldering heat of his touch behind, it was something she knew she would not be able to fight for very much longer.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

When the phone rang, Lita ran into the other room to grab it before it stopped ringing. Out of breath, she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" She said.

After a few seconds of silence on the other end she said again, "hello? Anyone there?"

But still no answer. Lita looked at the receiver with a quizzical look. "Damn telemarketers" she thought to herself, and then hung up the phone. As Lita walked away, a towel in her hand as she rubbed it through her freshly washed hair, the phone rang again. Lita this time grew annoyed. She placed her hands on her hip waiting for the ringing to stop but after three rings, it never did.

Lita marched over to the phone with steam practically coming out of her ears. Aggressively she picked up the receiver.

"Damn it, whatever it is I don't want any. Stop calling." She ordered.

On the other line John raised an eyebrow.

"Whoa now, just thought I'd call to see if you wanted to get some lunch, but damn I can take a hint." John responded, almost amused by her anger.

Realizing it wasn't who she thought it was, Lita was completely and utterly embarrassed.

"John, oh my God, I'm so sorry. I thought you were a, a, well a, never mind. What did you ask me?" Lita said, kicking herself for the stupidity of her words.

John was amused by how flustered she was. It was one of those things about her that started to turn him on. He was dying to get to know more.

"Lunch, I was asking about lunch. You interested?" John asked now smiling.

Lita bit her lower lip and ran a hand through her hair. An obvious sign of sexual frustration. The butterflies she had felt a few times before while in Cena's presence were nothing compared to what she felt now. Sure it was just lunch, but damn, this was like asking for a real date.

"Lunch? Yeah sure, I'd love to." Lita said as calmly as possible.

"You sure now? You seem a little flustered." John said playfully.

Lita rolled her eyes. She knew John a little to well to know that he was enjoying her uneasiness.

"I'm sure John, but I may change my mind if you keep acting like a ..." Lita stopped. She was totally at a loss for words.

The ice queen, always cool under pressure, was now forgetting her words. With John's face now burned in her brain, how could she possibly think straight?

"Okay, I'll be there in an hour." John said letting her off the hook. "See you then." He finished and then hung up the phone.

As soon as Lita heard the dial tone on the other end she slammed the phone down and sprinted toward the bathroom. John would be at her hotel room in an hour. Even though Lita considered herself more low maintenance than the other WWE divas, she feared that for John an hour wasn't nearly enough time to get ready.

ooooOOOOOOoooOoooOOOOOOOOOooo

Shane McMahon strolled into the gym dressed in blue jeans and a button up shirt. His workouts were held strictly in a private gym with a personal trainer, he wouldn't be caught dead working out with "boys". Of course "the boys" would work circles around his soft and well hidden physic and deep down inside Shane knew it. Instead he was there on business, par usual, as he made his way toward the back where the real weight lifting took place.

"Yo Triple H" Shane called out.

Triple H rolled his eyes. He hated being interrupted in the middle of a rep.

"What's up Shane O?" Triple H asked barely even looking at his brother in law.

When it came right down to it, Shane and Triple H had a lot of similar characteristics. You wouldn't know it by looking at them but in many ways they were a lot alike. Both were quite full of themselves and both were from Connecticut, but that's where the similarities stopped. Shane grew up filthy rich, and even though he liked to think of himself as one of the boys, he never really was. Triple H on the other hand WAS one of the boys and actually enjoyed working in the trenches as opposed to the front office of the WWE like Shane.

"Is there something going on between Cena and Lita?" Shane asked point blankly.

The question took Triple H off guard for sure.

"How the hell would I know, it's not like I'm buddies with either one of them." Triple H replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. You know how Lita is." Shane said.

Triple H laughed to himself , he knew exactly what Shane was driving at.

"Are you suggesting Lita's whoring herself out to Cena like she did Edge?" Triple H asked amused at the suggestion.

Personally, Triple H could care less who Lita was fucking, but it was interesting to him that Shane was even asking about it especially since Shane himself had acted somewhat inappropriately to the ladies backstage. So what if Lita and John were getting it on? Being on the road had a tendency to do that to you.

"Hey, I'm trying to help run a business, a business that I'll someday inherit, I don't like our Superstars acting like this is some kind of three ring circus." Shane said as he folded his arms across his chest.

Triple H raised an eyebrow. Shane was not one to talk about three ring circuses. The McMahon family WAS a three ring circus.

"There's the pot calling the kettle black." He retorted.

As Triple H got up from the weight bench he placed a hand on Shane's shoulder and looked him straight in the eye.

"Listen brother, I don't know what's going on between Lita and John, and I don't give a fuck. All I care about is kicking John's punk ass until I get that belt back. Who he's fucking is no concern of mine. Got it?" Triple H asked.

Shane nodded. Triple H almost enjoyed making Shane tremble.

As Triple H walked away Shane said to himself, "Yeah, well I'm going to start making some rules around here, and it starts with Lita."

A/N: I had a little fun with this chapter. Hope you like it. And don't worry, things will get steamy very shortly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

While Lita hurried to put on her make-up she heard a knock at her hotel door. Oh damn, she thought to herself, how the hell did John get there so fast?

Lita was on all jets now. Her heart was racing faster than she expected it to be. It's not like this is the first time she'd ever been around John, but then again, this was the first time it would be just the two of them, alone, together. The thought practically scared the hell out of her. Rummaging through her bag she found a small bottle of her favorite perfume and spayed the tiniest amount on her neck. She didn't want to make it too obvious that she was trying to impress John. Lita wanted him to see that she was more than just a WWE diva. She was all lady and willing to be his if he wanted.

As Lita hurried to the door she looked through the peep hole. Being a somewhat famous television personality you just could not be too careful these days. As her eyes scanned as far as they could she was surprised to see that no one was standing there. Lita decided to crack the door open hoping that maybe John was somewhere off to the side and she just couldn't see him. Looking to the left and then to the right, the hallway was completely empty, but just as Lita was about to close the door she noticed a box tied with a ribbon laying on the ground. Again, she scanned the hallway and then picked up the box before going back inside to her room.

Could John have possibly sent her flowers? Lita laughed to herself as the thought escaped briefly into her mind. There's no way John would have possibly done something like this, not for just a lunch date. Lita checked the box for a card but nothing. When she opened the box she noticed again a dozen red roses and sandwiched in the middle was one white rose. Her mind immediately traced back to one name...Matt. Lita for the life of her couldn't help but to think that if it truly was Matt leaving her the flowers why he just didn't call her and tell her how much he wanted her back? There was no question Matt was somewhat of a romantic, but this is getting ridiculous. Maybe Lita would just have to call him herself. But then again, if it wasn't Matt, she'd end up looking really stupid and that was something that Lita rarely did.

"How sweet, someone loves you."

Lita looked up startled out of her mind and cursing herself for leaving the door open.

"Shane, ever hear of knocking?" Lita said angrily as Shane stood before her with a smirk on his face.

"Ever hear of closing the door?" Shane replied back to her.

"Listen I'm here on my off work hours, I can do whatever the hell I want. Just because I work for the company your father built doesn't mean you have the right to just pop in any time you feel like it, so whatever it is you want just say it and leave." Lita paused for a moment and then continued. "And this better be work related." She finished.

Lita found it odd that Shane was there standing inside her room, but what was even odder was the fact that he some how thought it would be okay for him to show up during her off hours without ever mentioning beforehand that he needed to speak with her. She hated the fact the Shane thought he could do whatever he wanted simply because of his last name.

Shane laughed at Lita's last statement.

"What makes you think it would be anything other than work related Lita? Wishful thinking on your part." Shane said as his eyes wondered all over her body.

He couldn't help but to notice how she was dressed and that she was in full makeup, and it wasn't even noon yet. It was obvious she was getting ready to go out somewhere with someone she was interested in. Shane also couldn't help but to notice the perfume she wore. Without thinking he moved in closer to her to take in the aroma. Lita immediately backed away.

"Shane, if you were the last man on earth I still wouldn't be interested in you. Now do you mind just telling me what you're here for so I can get on with my day without being harassed. There is such a thing called sexual harassment and you're getting awfully close to it." Lita warned. She knew that she would never be able to battle a McMahon in court without losing her job and her reputation, but she hoped that Shane would at least get the hint.

"Don't worry honey, you're not exactly my type. Why would I waste my time with Matt, Edge and god knows who else's leftovers when I can easily be fucking any diva or ring rat I want?" Shane replied.

He didn't appreciate the insinuation Lita was making at all. Sure he couldn't help but to notice Lita's tightly fitted clothes, especially in the chest area, but he was a guy. He at least had the right to check her out. At least that's the way Shane felt about it and most women for that matter.

"How do you live with yourself Shane?" Lita asked point blankly.

Shane replied with a crooked McMahon smirk.

"You really need to mind who you're talking to Lita. It's a known fact that you like to whore yourself out, which is why I'm here." Shane said hoping to get under her skin with his harsh words.

Just as Shane was about to continue John Cena arrived surprised as hell to see Shane McMahon inside Lita's room.

"Lita, everything okay?" John asked with one eye firmly kept on the younger McMahon.

"Everything's just fine John. Shane was just about to tell me why he decided to interrupt a perfectly good off day by barging into my room."

John raised an eyebrow at the mention of the word "barge". For as much as he disliked Shane before, especially for all the crap he and Hunter have been putting him through in the ring, he hated him even more now. Shane had no right to be there regardless of what it is he had to say.

"John, surprised to see you here, but I'm glad you are. I can kill two birds with one stone." Shane said addressing both Lita and John now. He then continued. "I don't know what it is you two have going on with each other but we have rules in the WWE. Wrestlers are not aloud to date other wrestlers. It's a distraction backstage and in the ring so I suggest the both of you forget what it is you've got started here before you are both are suspended. Kapish?" Shane asked.

John and Lita looked at each other hardly believing what they were hearing. It was obvious Shane was still pissed from the other night and this is how he decided to deal with it. For him to be preaching about backstage affairs was a joke in both their minds. His sister was married to a wrestler, Shane himself had been rumored to have slept with several of the other divas. He was looking for a way to suspend them to make a point and this is the way he decided to do it.

"Okay boss." John said sarcastically as he started to stare Shane down.

You could tell by the look on John's face that at any second he was about to go off on Shane, but he knew better. He refused to make it that easy for Shane to get what he wanted. He hoped only that Shane would be stupid enough to book him in another match against himself and the million dollar prick, and regardless of who Shane would have there to help him along, John would make sure Shane got what he deserved.

Shane winked at Lita and smiled toward John. He loved when things went his way and right now he believed that his point had been made. In reality, he could care less who John was screwing around with, but the more he could make John look like an ass to Lita, to Stephanie to his father, to the fans and to everyone else in the WWE, the more he enjoyed being a McMahon.

"I'm glad we all have an understanding now." Shane said and then looked directly at Lita. "Sorry you'll never get the real man I know you've always wanted." He said implying that Lita actually wanted to sleep with him and not John.

Lita smiled to herself.

"Sorry you'll never be a real man Shane." She said sharply as John smirked at the remark. He was loving every second of it.

Shane's eyebrows furled. As far as he was concerned Lita was nothing more than a bitch who deserved a hard slap across the face. But instead of succumbing to his temptation Shane turned and walked away without another word.

"What was that all about? He didn't try anything on you did he?" John asked.

Lita shrugged her shoulders.

"Thankfully no. If he did he'd be walking funny for a while." Lita replied. John smiled back. He loved her spirit and was glad to see Shane hadn't broken it.

Before leaving for lunch John couldn't help but notice the flowers in Lita's hands.

"You going to bring those with you?" He asked.

Lita had almost forgotten she was actually holding a box of flowers.

"No. I have no idea who left them. Maybe they just got the wrong room or something. There's no card or anything. It's probably best if I just throw them away." Lita replied.

John could tell she was embarrassed by the whole thing and decided not to probe her about it any further. Looked to him like someone had a little crush on Lita. That was the second time in a few weeks someone had sent her flowers. Whoever it was definitely had good taste he thought to himself.

Lita went back into the room and set the flowers next to the TV. Right now she was anxious to get out of there and enjoy her time with John. Even though Shane had managed to put a damper on things, she refused to let that little run in ruin the whole day.

"Shall we?" John asked as he held out his arm the Lita all gentleman like.

Lita smiled and delicately took his arm. She began to tingle from head to toe just from this simple gesture. As for John, he was all cool on the outside, but on the inside he was thinking of his every move. Lita was his baby for the next few hours and he wanted to make the most of it. On the other hand he couldn't help but to wonder with Shane just leaving Lita's room and Lita standing before him with flowers in her hand, just exactly what it was he was getting himself into?


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

As Lita sat across from John at the restaurant, John made sure to keep his ball cap way low over his eyes. Lita also wore a hat to cover up her fiery red hair. Neither one of them wanted to be recognized by a fan. This was their first unofficial date. The last thing either one of them wanted to do was sign autographs without really getting to get to know one another.

As the waitress came by John made sure that Lita ordered first.

"I'll have the Greek salad with a glass of Chardonnay. And Water." She said.

John smiled in her direction. Normally he would have made fun of Lita sticking so close to her vegetarian diet, but this was no time to ruffle her feathers. Although there was one topic of discussion he did want to bring up: the roses.

Ever since leaving Lita's hotel room, he couldn't help but to wonder where the roses had come from. This wasn't the first time she had received them either. Twice within the last month she had received flowers from someone anonymously.

"Give me the steak burger, medium well, and a Heineken." John told the waitress.

As the waitress left to place their order, John sat back in his chair trying to get relaxed. He could tell by the way Lita's eye drifted around the room that she was a bit uncomfortable.

"You still thinking about Shane?" He asked hoping to break the ice.

"Shane? Hell no. Although I am still pissed he actually had the balls to show up at my hotel room on my day off. Something about that guy just bugs the hell out of me." She admitted.

"Join the club. What else can you expect from the offspring of Vincent Kennedy McMahon?" John said hoping the comment would bring a smile to Lita's face.

"Stephanie's okay, but you're right, Shane's definitely a chip off the old block." Lita responded. Now feeling a little more relaxed.

As the waitress returned with their drinks, Lita and John awkwardly traded smiles. Neither one of them had ever really been at a loss for words around one another, but this scenario was different. The pressure was definitely on.

John took a long drink from his beer. Then after placing it on the table he leaned forward in his chair.

"So, what's up with the flowers?" He asked.

Lita also sat up. The question took her a bit by surprise even though she knew perfectly well it was a fair question to ask. She wondered if she should tell John that she thought they might be from Matt, or simply lie and act as if it was really nothing.

"Well, I honestly don't know what to think of them. Either someone is starting to become obsessed or…." Lita stopped there.

What she wanted to say was either someone was becoming obsessed, or Matt was trying to reconcile again. Neither option seemed better than the other. Having to deal with an obsessed fan was bad enough, but having Matt back in her life, especially now as things were really starting to evolve with John, was more drama than she really wanted right now.

"Or? Or what Lita. What are you thinking girl? You think they're from someone you know?" John couldn't help to ask.

Lita shrugged her shoulders.

"The thought did cross my mind, but I really don't know anyone who would gain anything from leaving them without a card or signature. It's kind of weird." Lita confided.

"Hell yeah that's weird. Listen Lita, do me a favor, make sure someone knows where you are at all times, just until this little admirer of yours stops with the flowers and whatever else little love notes he's leaving you. If it's an obsessed fan, I'd hate for anything to happen to you. You know?" John said praying to God that he didn't sound like her big brother or something.

Lita smiled. She loved the fact that John was concerned for her.

"Before we leave make sure you have my pager number okay?" John continued.

"Okay." Lita said with a huge smile on her face.

As the waitress returned a second time with their food, John ordered another round of drinks. He was feeling more at ease by the second, especially now that the issue of the flowers was out of the way.

"How 'bout a toast?" John raised his beer as Lita followed his lead. "To the sexiest, hottest, dopest, flyest diva on the WWE roster.

Lita couldn't help but to blush, but she refused to get completely unraveled and lose her cool.

"Fair enough." She responded. "And also to the best WWE Champ the WWE or anybody has ever seen."

John smiled. After their initial uncomfortableness, they were right back where they had always been. Playful, flirtatious and easy going.

Both clinked their glasses and downed whatever was left of their drinks. Whether it was the initial affects of the alcohol or the fact that John was taking in something even more intoxicating than that, John leaned forward to Lita, took her face in his hand and planted a soft, luscious kiss on her lips.

oooOOOOOOOOooOOOoooooooooOOOO

Triple H answered his cell phone on the second ring.

"Shane-O, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" He said rolling his eyes.

Triple H and Stephanie were trying hard to enjoy a few moments alone in their hotel room. It was rare that either one of them got to sleep in, much less not be working at all.

"Okay great, good for you. Listen man, I already told you, I could care less if Lita and John are screwing each other. What I have going with John is simply business. What he does outside of work is his problem." Triple H was starting to get annoyed with the way Shane had made his personal vendetta against John, now his problem as well.

Even Triple H would admit that John Cena did have some talent, just not as much as he had. In his mind, no one should retain the title for as long as Cena has except for himself. No one.

Stephanie grabbed the phone from Triple H as soon as she realized it was Shane.

"Shane, could you please just drop it. You're being a real ass right now. I think you need to worry more about the fact that one of the diva's you've been screwing with has an STD. No matter what you do, John is going to be the Champ until the fans want to see someone else with the belt. And right now, the fans want John"

At this remark, Triple H gave Stephanie a hard, cold stare. He sometimes hated the fact that she had more power than him backstage. It was the price he paid for marrying the boss's daughter.

Stephanie ended the cal without giving Shane a chance to respond on the other end.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm the older sibling in the family." Stephanie said with a sigh.

Triple H turned to her with a quizzical look on his face.

"One of the diva's has an STD?" He asked as Stephanie simply rolled her eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Although John and Lita had spent almost two hours together at lunch alone, the time seemed to go by like the blink of an eye. At least that's what John was thinking as he walked Lita back to her hotel room. Little did he realize Lita was thinking exactly the same thing.

"So, uh, thank you for lunch." John said in a low engaging voice.

Lita couldn't help but notice the sexiness in the way he talked. His voice was low, masculine and sincere. As he softly grabbed both her hands and brought them up to kiss them, Lita was certain her knees would buckle. Thankfully for her the alcohol she had drank helped to relax her.

"I had a good time, we should do this again some day." Lita replied feeling as though the delicate kisses John had left on her hands would burn a hole through them.

Whether it be the alcohol or months of pent up sexual frustration between the two, there was no denying the heat between them. John for his part had drank just enough alcohol to let his reservations go, but not too much to know exactly what he was doing. So, when he leaned in to kiss Lita on the lips, he definitely knew what he was doing. He had wanted it for a long time now.

Although somewhat surprised, Lita's body reacted naturally to John's advances. Her lips parted just slightly so he could slip his tongue into her mouth. Once inside, John moved delicately around, tickling her tongue and massaging his lips against hers. Too caught up to even know where they were, John backed Lita up until she hit the door of her hotel room. She didn't care. The disruption did not interfere with neither the rhythm nor passion they had going.

"Lita; you are so fucking beautiful." John said as he looked at her briefly and covered her with his hot breath.

He slipped one hand behind her head and through her hair making sure that as they continued to kiss, the back of her head would not hit the door.

As the heat between the two continued to grow, Lita decided that maybe they should go inside the room before a fan or security decided to interfere.

"John, one second. How about we go inside?" Lita asked trying to catch her breath.

"Good idea. See, that's what I like about you girl, you're full of good ideas." He said smiling brightly at her.

As Lita turned to open the door John quickly did a breath check. "Little tequila, but otherwise good" he thought to himself.

As soon as Lita had the door open, John wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her around to kiss her. Lita was quickly staring to realize why they called him "The Champ" and it had nothing to do with his wrestling skills.

Again the two continued to embrace. John was heading for second base as his right hand snuck up underneath Lita's tank top and onto her breast. The feel of John's hand in a place where Lita had least expected it sent chills up and down her spine. She feared in this moment she was falling fast and hard for John Cena. His touches, his embrace, his kisses were intoxicating. She only hoped she was having as strong of an effect on him as he was having on her.

Again, like a dance, the two were moving further into the room. They were completely lost in each other until Lita caught glimpse of something from the corner or her eye. The flowers.

The flowers that were left for her earlier were still sitting on the coffee table next to the TV. Her intension was to throw them away when she retuned back to her hotel room, but for now, there they lay, like a sore thumb.

Immediately her thoughts turned to Matt Hardy and the moments of paradise she was spending with John had instantly been destroyed.

"John, wait." Lita said as she pushed herself back away from his touch.

John looked at Lita, unsure of what to think except that maybe she just had to catch her breath. He took in her beauty and couldn't help but to dive back in as he moved in once again to kiss her.

"No John wait." Lita said louder and much more stern.

John backed away. He knew now for sure that something was up and had no idea what he had done wrong.

"Lita, what's wrong?" He asked.

Lita turned her head to the floor as she backed up further from John. She hated herself for ruining the moment they were sharing together, but with Matt now firmly burned into her mind, there was no way she could continue.

"John, I'm sorry, but it's just….well I guess I just feel weird." Lita explained haphazardly.

John had no clue what was running through her mind right now. Part of him was pissed that she would take it this far and then end it with a simple "I feel weird", but the other part understood. She had been in two relationships with wrestlers and neither one had fulfilled her completely. It only made sense that there was some hesitation on her part to get involved with another one.

"John, I'm sorry. I had a great time today. I really do want to do this again sometime." Lita explained further.

As Lita bent her head to the ground, John smiled at her and placed his fingers on her chin to lift her head back up.

"No sweat. We'll do it again okay?" He said and then kissing her on the cheek, he turned to leave.

oOOOooOOOOOooooOOOOOOoooooooOOOo

Shane sat inside the limo on the phone as it was parked outside the luxury hotel he had been staying in while on the road.

"I need it there by Monday." He said to the person on the other line. "Just bill it to my account. Thank you."

As Shane hung up the phone there was a knock at the window. Shane looked at the woman patiently waiting outside. He almost laughed to himself as he could sense her impatience.

"Sorry about that. Come on in." He said as the driver had now opened the door for the young woman dressed in almost nothing.

"Gee, thanks Shane." Candice replied as she got into the limo and sat next to Shane.

Shane leaned forward and grabbed a bottle of champagne pouring two glasses for the both of them.

"Don't be upset little girl, without me and my father you wouldn't have all this." He said as he stroked the diamond necklace the rested on Candice's chest.

Candice smiled back at the man she knew would someday own the WWE. Sure, Shane was a typical male chauvinist pig, but he was rich, powerful and sexy. Small price to pay for putting up with his rudeness.

As Shane's hands wandered down to Candice's exposed inner thighs, only after getting a handful of her breasts, his usual one track mind turned to a more serious issue.

:"When was the last time you saw a doctor?" He asked bluntly.

Candice looked at him as if he had two heads. "Where was this coming from?", she thought to herself.

"A doctor? What do you mean?" Candice asked annoyed and confused at the same time.

"You know, to make sure you're clean. I don't want any diseases you know." Shane said bluntly.

Candice couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did the man actually ask her if she had any diseases? If anyone had a disease, it was Shane. The McMahon men were notorious for infidelity and sleeping around.

"Shane." She said at him with evil eyes..

"Yes?"

"Go to hell."

Shane smiled back at the WWE Diva knowing that he had received a green light by her defiance alone.

"Gladly." He said smugly and then aggressively took her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers regardless of whether she was ready or not.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Lita paced back and forth in her hotel room close to driving herself insane. She had to know once and for all if Matt Hardy was responsible for sending the flowers. If she was wrong about Matt, she would risk looking like a fool, but it was worth it. Lita had just spent two of the best hours of her life with John Cena only to have it ruined by a ghost from the past.

As Matt's cell phone rang on the other end Lita tapped her fingers nervously on the table where she leaned in anticipation. The seconds seemed like minutes and each ring that went by was greater temptation to just hang up the phone.

"Hello?" Matt answered.

Too late, Lita would now have to say something.

"Matt?" Lita said nervously.

"Yes."

"It's Lita." Lita said with a softness in her voice Matt was not accustomed to hearing.

"Lita, everything okay?" Matt asked.

For as much as they had been through, Matt and Lita still cared very much for one another. When the two first broke up it was hard. Matt especially was bitter and full of hatred toward Lita for how she had betrayed him. But all of that was in the past. Both Lita and he had been able to admit they were both wrong. Both had done things to make the other neglect the love they had between them. Let's face it, both were pretty immature and the experience of it all had helped them grow. Matt for one felt he had become a better person for it. No longer would he take for granted what he had. Finding love again certainly helped him to move on and more importantly, to forgive.

"Yes, everything's fine. You good?" Lita asked congenially.

"I'm real good. Still waiting for the push I was promised, but otherwise, doing good." After a short pause Matt continued. "So what's up Lita? You strange, you sure you're okay?"

Lita took a deep breath. Small talk was over and now it was time to find out the truth.

"Everything's fine, really, it's just I've been receiving flowers from somebody and I'm trying to find out who's sending them." Lita said hoping not to sound as if she was making too big a deal out of the whole thing.

"Hell girl, you get stuff like that all the time. You know you're still one of the hottest Diva's in the WWE. It's no surprise you have fans trying to get your attention."

Matt was now thoroughly confused by Lita's concern. Almost all the wrestlers, especially the Diva's, were used to getting all kinds of crazy gifts from fans. Why was Lita now suddenly concerned he wandered.

"I know, but the weird thing about these flowers is that they are coming with a single white rose." Lita's heart started beating faster as the words spilled from her mouth. She knew as soon as she mentioned the white rose, Matt would know exactly what she was implying.

After a brief pause on the other end of the phone, Matt responded.

"Lita, I know what you're thinking. It's not me hon." Matt said. He knew how hard it must have been for her to actually bring up the subject, and for that he sympathized with her.

Lita took a deep breath. She trusted Matt. If he said the flowers weren't from him, then they weren't. Oddly enough, she was also starting to feel a sense of closure no matter how painful it was to face the fact that Matt had truly moved on.

Then suddenly Matt started to recall a conversation he had with someone from the WWE New Media Department several months ago. He was being interviewed for a profile segment to be posted on the WWE website. During the interview the subject of him and Lita came up. He remembered mentioning how he would often leave her a white rose in odd little places to surprise her during a time in their relationship when things were still new and untarnished by backstage politics and insecurities.

As Matt started to remember more of that conversation, he also remembered that the said profile never made it to the website at all. He didn't think much of it at the time, but now found it quite significant given the timeline of events.

"Lita, how long ago did you say you started receiving the flowers? " Matt asked sensing he was on to something.

"I'd say a little less than two months ago. Why?" Lita responded.

"I don't know, but when I was being interviewed for something for the WWE website, the topic of the white rose came up." Matt said.

Lita suddenly raised an eyebrow. Everyone knew Shane McMahon was the man who oversaw all direction and content of the website.

"What are you thinking Matt?" Lita asked hoping her initial instinct would be incorrect.

"I'm thinking there's a certain multi-millionaire playing games with you right now and you need to be very careful." Matt warned.

Lita knew what he meant but she still couldn't believe it. The only thing that ever really mattered to Shane when it came to her or any of the other Diva's was a quick lay. There was no way he would go through the effort of sending her flowers just for that. Besides, she had made it clear on many occasions that she had absolutely no interest in him and beyond that, he had made it clear to her that she wasn't good enough for him anyway.

"Shane McMahon? That's crazy." Lita said.

"I don't know, I'd just be careful. If it is him he wants something, and he's not used to hearing the word no." Matt said, warning her again and hoping she would take him seriously.

"Okay Matt, I'll be careful. As coincidental as it all seems, I just don't think it's him. I appreciate your honesty though." Lita responded.

Even though she knew there could be a real possibility to what Matt was saying, she tried to hide her concern. The last thing she wanted to do was get Matt involved with any of her drama. He had his own life now and he deserved to live it.

"Listen, it was nice talking to you again. I really am glad things are going good for you." Lita said to Matt sincerely.

"Well, I'm glad you called. If you need me for anything at all hon, don't hesitate to call." Matt said followed by another awkward moment of silence. "Take care Lita, I'll see you around."

As both Lita and Matt hung up the phone, Lita was glad the conversation was over. She knew for sure that one part of her life was completely over and a new chapter was just beginning. Given the revelation of what she and Matt just discussed she was unsure of what this new chapter might bring but she hoped that somehow her suspicions about Shane would be wrong. The whole idea of it was just too crazy to be true, but then again, she had seen how Shane had manipulated people in the past.

As Lita tried to piece everything together she wandered if she could just ignore it all, but how could she? She decided instead that she would have to tell someone. Someone that she could truly trust and who would look out for her should she decide to do something crazy like confront Shane himself. The image of one man burned into her mind over and over again. She needed to tell John and that is exactly what she would do.

**A/N: Your feedback really needed here. Do you like where I'm going with this? Are you intrigued? Is it getting too cliché? I'm at a point right now where I could either make this a heavy drama or try to keep it light and amusing. Not sure which way to go. What do you think? I really appreciate the feedback from everyone and hope you continue to read. Peace!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Lita was already emotionally tired from everything that came about in the last 24 hours. First, her date with John and coming so close to being with him the way she had imagined while daydreaming every time she spotted him backstage. Then, talking with Matt after so many months of nothing. Lita would never forget Matt, but the sparks that once flew between them were now completely gone. And finally, discovering that Shane may be the one behind the flowers. Lita's mind raced as she picked up her cell phone and called John.

"Hello?" A weary voice on the other rend called.

"John, it's Lita, did I wake you?" She asked.

It was close to midnight and both of them would need to be up early to catch a flight to Chicago for Raw.

"Nah, it's all good. What's up?" John said trying hard to clear his mind as he had just started dozing off to sleep.

"I think I know who has been sending the flowers." She said.

Truth be told, John was just as anxious to know who the mystery man was. He was falling hard for Lita and hoped there would be no one to stand in his way. Even if it was just a crazy obsessed fan. John sometimes hated the fact that when he sees something he wants, he'll go all out to get it. It's what has made him the WWE Champ today. A boy with a dream, and now that same boy was dreaming of something different and that was Lita.

"You sure?" John asked.

"Well I'm pretty sure. I finally called Matt."

At the sound of Matt's name, John's heart skipped a beat. He knew their history and couldn't help but to be slightly jealous of the man. Lita continued.

"He mentioned something about Shane and it all kind of made sense." Lita confessed.

John couldn't help but to laugh at the other rend.

"Shane, Shane McMahon? Mr. Romantic himself huh. Lita that's crazy girl." John replied, but then controlled his laughter after realizing Lita was not laughing with him.

"John, I know it's crazy, but it also makes some sense. Anyway, I'm going to have a conversation with him tomorrow before Raw."

"Okay, now THAT's crazy. Lita don't do it, and if you do take me with you." John begged. He knew there would be no changing her mind but he wanted to at least be there just in case.

"John I can't have you with me. I really don't want to make a big deal about it. I'll just go in there and ask him. What's the worse that could happen?" Lita asked.

"Lita please. Don't do it. You don't know for sure it's him. Don't give him that kind of leverage against you." John begged again.

"I have to John. I'll let you know what happens tomorrow. Promise you'll keep this between us." She asked.

John lowered his head and clinched his teeth. He wanted so bad to stop her. Instead he would just have to wait until tomorrow night and hope for the best.

"John, one more thing. Thank you so much. I'll see you tomorrow okay?" Lita said before hanging up.

"Okay Lita." John replied as he heard a click at the other end. "I love you girl." He finished know that Lita would never hear him.

ooOOOOooooooOOOOOooooooooOO

At the arena shortly before Raw was about to start, Shane and Triple H are having a discussion about the upcoming show.

"So I was thinking tonight we have a lumberjack match. You against John with the Spirit Squad on the outside as the lumberjacks." Shane said enthusiastically to Triple H.

Triple H rolled his eyes. He was counting his blessings that at this moment Shane didn't have full creative control.

"And you think I need the Spirit Squad to help me convince people I can demolish John Cena?" Triple H asked annoyed.

"No. You are The Game. It's just The Spirit Squad will pretty much do whatever I tell them so if I say get your cheap shots in, that's exactly what they'll do. I want to send a message to John and quite honestly Triple H, you're not getting it across." Shane said plainly.

Triple H stood up from his chair. He had heard enough from the Boy Wonder. Getting to within inches of Shane's face Triple H started to speak.

"Is that so? Well how's this for a message…"

But before he could finish, there was a knock at the door. With their eyes still pinned on one another both of them said in unison, "Come in!"

When Lita opened the door, she found the two men standing toe to toe. It was obvious she had interrupted something. Shane took the opportunity to step away from Triple H before Triple decided to finish whatever it was he was about to deliver.

"Should I come back?" Lita asked.

Shane bounded toward her.

"No, no, not at all. Come on in. Hopefully you've come to apologize for your unprofessional behavior as of late." Shane said smugly.

Triple H had enough. Shane's power trip would get him in huge trouble some day and Triple H hoped he would be the one to put him in his place. Unfortunately for him, for as long as he was married to Stephanie, he may never get that opportunity.

As Triple H passed Lita before leaving he nodded his head in her direction, but refused to be 100 cordial. He was in a bad mood and if tonight John Cena or The Spirit Squad had to pay for it, then so be it.

As soon as Triple H was gone Shane folded his arms across his chest and waited for Lita to speak. He had to admit he was a bit surprised she had come to see him.

"No Shane I did not come here to apologize because I haven't done anything wrong." Lita spat.

Shane simply held a slight smirk on his lips as Lita continued.

"I came here because someone has been sending me flowers. A lot of flowers. Specifically flowers with a white rose." Lita said.

"Wow, got to hand it to Cena, he'll go all out just to get a woman into bed won't he?" Shane replied smiling.

Lita wanted so bad at that moment to back hand him across the face for the comment but instead kept herself in check. She hated this more than anything, but regardless of Shane she still had to know the truth.

"Sorry Shane, but John's a true gentleman, unlike some guys here in the WWE." Lita responded knowing that Shane knew who she was referring to.

"Okay, so someone is giving you flowers. Who?" Shane asked nonchalantly, acting as if Lita was simply wasting his time just by being there.

"You." Lita said straight out.

Shane smiled to himself and then walked toward the door. He checked the hallway to see if anyone was approaching and then closed it. This of course made Lita's skin crawl. She was now starting to regret not having asked John to come with her. Her eyes scanned the room almost immediately for objects she could use to fend off any of Shane's advances.

"I have to give it to you Lita. You're a smart girl. Actually, I wanted you to find out, just not so soon." Shane admitted as he got closer to her.

"So care to tell me what kind of sick game you're playing Shane? Is this some sort of twisted way to piss off John?" Lita asked.

"Actually, that's brilliant. Never thought of it that way. But the answer is no." Shane said. The features in his face now starting to soften.

Shane moved in even closer to Lita and then reached out with his hand as his fingers delicately touched her hair.

"I've fallen in love with you Lita. I just wasn't ready to tell you." Shane said as he looked to the ground.

His finger now tracing her face and then he let go, stepping back as soon as he realized how uncomfortable and shocked Lita was standing before him.

Lita for her part was shocked. She had no idea what to think. Shane McMahon of all people had a crush on her. Who would have guessed. By the way he stood there looking to the floor, she could see a certain vulnerability in his features. Stranger things could happen she supposed.

"Shane, I don't know what to say, I..." Lita said but was cut off.

"You don't have to say anything Lita. Now you know why I've been such a prick to you. I'm sorry, but it was the only way I knew to cover up the real me." Shane said to her in a soft, boylike voice.

Lita's eye wandered. She couldn't look Shane in the face. Shane stepped closer to her once again, this time placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Why don't you get ready for the show. Try to forget what just happened here okay?" Shane said with puppy dog eyes staring right through her.

Forget? Lita thought to herself. How could she?

Lita did as Shane asked and made her way toward the door, still not believing what had happened. She would keep this to herself for now, but in the back of her mind knew that John would want to know everything that went on and she promised to tell him. How could she possibly tell John what just happened?

As Lita closed the door, Shane watched her with his eyes. Shaking his head after she was gone he said to himself, "Too easy, way too fucking easy. You were right the first time baby doll."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

As soon as his match was over, John Cena made his way back stage in search of Lita. Every muscle in his body ached due to the beating he took in the ring from Triple H and the Spirit Squad. None of that mattered though tonight because he held Lita in the back of his mind the whole time. He was dying to know how her conversation went with Shane and hoped she was okay.

"Lita? You in here?" John called out as he peeked his head into the ladies locker room.

Before hearing an answer he felt a presence behind him.

"Hey sexy." Candice said as she looked John over.

John turned somewhat startled to see Candice there. Pretty much everyone was gone now. John simply wanted to find Lita, and then find a nice quiet place to talk without any distractions.

"Hey Candice. You seen Lita around?" He asked. His eyes searching everywhere.

Candice grabbed him by the chin to keep his wandering head still.

"Well first how about looking me in the eye." Candice demanded.

"Yeah right, sorry. I just really need to find Lita." John said embarrassed for being so rude.

"I haven't seen her in a while. Everything okay?" Candice asked.

"Yes, everything's fine, I'm sure, it's just I really need to talk to her. What about Shane have you seen Shane?" John asked.

"Shane, of course not, why would I have seen Shane?" Candice replied, nervous now that somehow John knew that only moments ago she and Shane had met for a "private" meeting in the janitor's closet.

"Forget it. If you see Lita tell her I'm looking for her." John replied and then ran off leaving Candice by herself in the hallway.

oOOOoOooOOOOooooOOooOooOOOOOOOOO

Lita sat behind the wheel of her rented Ford Explorer with the seat back and her arm crossed behind her head. As soon as her spot on Raw was over she went to the parking garage to her car, the only place she knew where she could have some privacy just to think. When she heard a knock at the window only then did it dawn on her she had been there for over an hour.

Outside John tapped on the window.

Lita sat up immediately almost embarrassed for having been found and double embarrassed for realizing it was John. She rolled down the window.

"Lita are you okay?" John asked out of breath. He had been searching for her for over fifteen minutes now.

"John, hi. Yes I'm fine. I was going to come look for you but I lost track of time.." Lita responded.

John looked at her, then at the parking garage, then back at her.

"Lita, what the hell are you doing out here anyway?" John asked.

"Thinking I suppose. You want to come in? It's actually pretty peaceful. No outside noise at all."

John smiled at her then made his way to the other side of the car where he slid into the seat next to her.

After a short moment of awkward silence, John decided to speak.

"So what happened with Shane? Everything okay? Has he been the one giving you the flowers?" John asked. The suspense was killing him.

Lita had been thinking a long time whether or not to tell John the truth. Now that Shane had told her he was in love with her, she still didn't quite believe it and certainly didn't want to get John all worked up if there was no reason. At the same time, she didn't want to lie to him either. Shane did admit to giving her the flowers and John had asked point blankly if it was him.

"Now don't freak out or anything, but yes." Lita said holding her breath as she waited for John to explode.

"What! You're fucking kidding me right? That bastard, what the hell is he trying to pull anyway? The nerve of that guy." John said with a raised voice.

There, Lita had told the truth. What she wouldn't tell John though is that Shane admitted to being in love with her, and that is why he sent the flowers. It was still all too strange for her to believe it herself, but there was something in Shane's face that really made her think that maybe he was telling the truth. The only thing she had really known about Shane McMahon was that he was a womanizer and for whatever reason hated John. Those two facts alone would lead her to believe he was full of shit. But then there was that softness, the look in his eyes. She couldn't erase it from her memory. She saw a side of Shane that not many people get to see. A soulful, warm side. Whatever it was, it was enough to make Lita believe that he may have actually been telling the truth.

"It's no big deal John really. We kind of decided to just forget about the whole thing." Lita said trying desperately to downplay the event.

"Forget the whole thing? Did he give you a reason, or is it because he's just such a nice guy?" John asked, still annoyed.

"Not really, I guess it's just his way of trying to apologize for being such an asshole to me." Lita explained.

"Whoa, wait a second. The guy's an asshole to me too, I didn't get any freakin' flowers." John responded.

"John please, just drop it. It's over now. Shane was actually pretty cool about the whole thing." Lita said as she noticed John was still in a tizzy. "John, please don't be jealous or anything. It's really nothing." Lita said as she placed her hand on his cheek.

"Okay Lita, if you say it's nothing than it's nothing. I'm sorry for being jealous, but it's just.." John stopped trying to find the right words. "It's just I think we got a good thing going right now and I'd like to see it go further." John finally admitted.

"I love you Lita. I have for a long time. I don't want to see you go through anymore drama." John finished.

As the words spilled from John's mouth he took his one and only opportunity to plant a sensual kiss on her lips. Sure they were both sitting in a rental car in the middle of an arena parking lot in Chicago, but John certainly didn't care. Not all "moments" have to happen next to a nice warm fire on bear skin rug.

As John pressed his hands on Lita's face, Lita ran her hands through the back of his hair down to his neck. The touch sent shivers down John's spine. Things were moving a whole lot faster than they both anticipated. Not only were they full of physical attraction toward one another, but they also truly loved each other as people. Being able to show it in a more physical way made them both get carried away in the moment.

As Lita let one hand drift up and down John's sculpted arm, John ran a hand up underneath Lita's shirt and circled his index finger on her chest. There was no groping, no wet sloppy kisses. Every move was thought out to make sure Lita knew how much this meant to him.

The two buried themselves further into the front of the car seat. The pain John felt from his match had now disappeared and neither he nor Lita seemed to care that there was a plastic cup holder interfering in the perfect horizontal placement of their bodies.

As their breaths grew warmer the windows were starting to fog. So when there was a knock at the window neither one could see who the intruder was, but both of them almost jumped completely out of their skin.

"You all need to get moving. Parking lot closes in ten minutes." A man dressed as a security officer said.

"Yes sir. We're on our way" John replied.

As the man walked away, John and Lita stared at each other and then started cracking up laughing. Sure, they hated the fact that they were interrupted, but the obscurity of it all had them dying in laughter.

**A/N: Lots of drama coming your way in the next chapters. Keep those reviews coming. They really help to inspire me and I love the feedback. If you hate it or one of the characters fine let me know. If you are into to it, cool, let me know. Thanks again to those who have given me reviews. Your feedback is really appreciated and if there's a story of yours you'd like me to review...let me know!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** You guys rock with the reviews, and because of it I went crazy and wrote the next two and a half chapters. This is the first of them. It may have been a mistake to write so much at one time but I couldn't help it, the thoughts just kept coming so I went with it. Hope it didn't hurt the story too much. Anyway, as always, let me know what you think.

**Chapter 11**

When Lita arrived back to her hotel she opened the door to find sitting next to the bed a dozen red roses and again a single white flower. There would be no secret this time as to who sent them. As Lita approached the table where they rested she looked first for a card. Seeing one sticking out from the top she grabbed it immediately and started to read.

_Glad there's no more secrets. I really am sorry for being such a jerk and I hope this will convince you I really am an okay guy. Love, Shane._

Lita read the note and couldn't help but to laugh to herself. All this time she thought Shane McMahon was nothing more than a pompous dickhead, and now this. He really was starting to grow on her.

It had been a long night for Lita, so after putting the flowers in water Lita lay back in her bed and stared at the ceiling. She longed to have John lying next to her with his arms wrapped tightly around her body. As the thought carried her away, another thought stole into her mind. A thought that not only surprised her, but scared her as well. What would it be like to kiss Shane McMahon?

Shaking her head to clear her mind Lita laughed to herself and then fell asleep.

OOOOOooooooooooOOOoOOOOOOOoOOoooooo

The following day, John waited in the hotel lobby for a car to bring him and Lita back to the airport and head back to New York. While standing there he saw Shane McMahon talking on his cell phone.

Just the sight of him got his blood boiling, but he refused to let it ruin the high he was feeling from the night before with Lita. He chose instead to just ignore him, but unfortunately that didn't last long. As soon as Shane was done talking on his cell phone, he approached John.

"Hey Cena, how you feeling this morning?" Shane asked mockingly, knowing full well that John would be hurting from the beating he took in the ring the night before.

"Actually pretty damn good boss, and you?" John asked with a smile on his face that he knew would get under Shane's skin.

The temptation to confront Shane about the flowers was almost over whelming now.

"I'm good as always. By the way, sorry about the booking last night, but those Spirit Squad kids are something aren't they? Just so full of enthusiasm." Shane replied. "Well, see you next week. Make sure you take care of yourself, I'm thinking cage match for the next Raw." Shane said with a grin on his face as he walked away.

"Yo Shane." John called out.

He hated McMahon and wanted to make sure Shane knew that he had his eye on him when it came to Lita.

"Lita's been through a lot. She doesn't need more drama. You understand me?" John said, his eyes cutting through Shane like a knife.

Shane smiled and laughed beneath his breath. He walked up to John and stared down at him.

"Don't be jealous Cena. You know and I know I always get what I want, and if it's Lita I want, then just let it be. You want to fight me on this one, then may the best man win. Just remember, as long as you are a part of the WWE, I own you. I suggest you stay out of my way." Shane said and then walked off.

Shane knew his words were killing John. It was exactly what he wanted when he started with the whole Lita thing. For the past year, John proved that he was no mama's boy, he could take hit after hit in the ring. That's why the fans and Stephanie McMahon loved him so much. He just never gives up. But Shane felt if he could break him emotionally, then he could prove to his sister that John Cena was nothing but trouble and bad for back stage morale. The fact that Lita was drawn into the middle of this was no concern of his. The fact that Lita could end up having her heart broke was no concern of his either. She'd been just as vindictive to Matt when she cheated on him with Edge. What goes around comes around. The wrestling industry was no place for the weak of heart, and if John or Lita didn't like it they could both leave.

As John watched Shane get into his limo he clenched his fist. Lita's soft touch to his shoulder was the only thing that kept him from running through the lobby doors and kick the living hell out of Shane.

"You ready to go?" Lita asked.

John turned to Lita, the anger still written on his face. Lita noticed it right away.

"John, are you okay?" Lita asked.

"No. Shane McMahon is an asshole Lita and if you think otherwise you're as messed up as he is." John spat out without even thinking.

Lita couldn't believe the harshness in his words. The fact that John would take his anger out on her pissed her off more than anything. His jealousy was starting to wear on her quickly. It was almost the same way Matt started acting when his insecurities took over and that was the beginning of the end for both of them. Lita refused to deal with the same thing all over again.

"Fuck you John Cena." She said and then stormed off without another word.

John cursed himself. Not only had he given Shane exactly what he wanted, but he had now managed to make the one woman he cared about the most hate him.

"Nice going numb nuts." He said to himself and then found the nearest wall and punched it as hard as he could regardless of who was watching.

OOOOoooooooOOOOOOOOOOOooooo

As Lita sat in her seat on the plane ride home, she listened to her headphones avoiding any and all conversation all. The words of Lifehouse's "Everything" penetrated through her brain.

_How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you._

_Can you tell me how could it be any better than this?_

It was less than 24 hours ago that these words would have suited the moment she had with John in that rented Ford Explorer, but that moment was now destroyed by John's stupid tantrum. Lita wondered if she would ever find the love she needed.

Suddenly, she felt the buzzing from her cell phone. She pulled the phone from her hip and read the message.

_"Want some company tonight?"_

Lita DID want company tonight, a nice bottle of red wine would do the trick she thought to herself. As for men, she simply wasn't in the mood to deal with any man right now. So as soon as the plane landed, Lita erased the message without even bothering to read who it was from. She didn't care. But before she could stow the phone back into her pocket, she received another call.

"Hello?"

"Hey Lita, its Shane. Did you get my message?" Lita rolled her eyes. Poor Shane, how was he to know Lita was on an I hate men kick right now.

"Yes I got it, but I'd really just like to get back to my apartment and spend some time by myself." Lita explained.

"Come on, no one likes to be alone. I know you'll find this hard to believe, but if there's something on your mind I'm a good listener. Give me at least a chance to show you I'm more than just about work. It's the least you can do for a guy who's already spent hundreds of dollars on you." Shane pleaded. Using the sweetest voice he could possibly muster.

Lita rolled her eyes again. The old guilt trip thing always seemed to work with her. Shane already had proven from their previous meeting that he could stand alone in a room with a woman without jumping her bones, and Lita supposed even further, that 'no' was not an option for Shane. He was a McMahon after all.

"Not like you can't afford a few hundred bucks Shane but okay. Bring some red wine if you don't mind, and I want you gone before ten." Lita demanded. She knew some ground rules would have to be laid out otherwise Shane would probably take liberties not welcomed by her at all.

"Ten. No problem. I should have you nice and liquored up by nine." Shane said laughing to himself.

"Nice Shane. Just when I think you're a halfway decent guy you come up with crap like that." Lita replied not amused at all by the comment.

"Kidding, I was kidding. Whatever you want baby doll. Outside of work, you make the rules." Shane said.

As Lita hung up the phone she wandered just what the hell she had done. Maybe it was her little way of getting back at John. She would prove that Shane was not the man John thought he was and moreover, prove that John's jealousy would make her actually desire a guy like Shane even more.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

When John arrived back to New York he met a couple of the other wrestlers at a nearby bar for a drink or two. He had to figure out how to let Lita know that he was different than Matt and that he did have control over his jealousy. It had been a long day, so before the other wrestlers arrived John made sure to sneak in a shot of tequila to warm up the night.

As a few of the wrestlers started to arrive, John noticed Triple H walking into the bar with Stephanie by his side.

"Great" he thought to himself. That was all he needed, Triple H staring daggers into him all night and Stephanie watching one of her top Superstars getting plastered in public.

As John hung his head while sipping on a beer, Stephanie McMahon sat next to him.

"Hey, don't tell Paul this, but great job in the match tonight. Sorry you had to go through all that but the crowd really loved it.." Stephanie explained.

"Great. No offense but what's up with all that? I practically got my ass kicked by six guys." John responded harshly.

John was in no mood to be a nice guy. If he was pissed off about something he was going to say it, even if it was to the WWE owner's daughter and head of the Creative Department.

Stephanie couldn't help but pick up on John's dark tone. John had usually been pretty laid back and would take on whatever was dished out to him. Tonight though he seemed agitated. Very agitated.

"Well most of it was Shane's idea. The Spirit Squad guys are young. We need to see how they perform in main events so we can determine who the stand outs will be. I'll try to take it easy on you for next week. I know you've been working hard John and I appreciate it." Stephanie replied.

John shook his head.

"Are you really a McMahon?" John asked. The effects of the alcohol starting to get to him.

Stephanie raised an eyebrow. She had no clue what he was talking about and quite honestly was a little offended.

"I mean you seem pretty straight up, but Vince and Shane?" John said as he took a long drink of his beer.

"John, what are you talking about?" Stephanie asked.

"Your brother is a dick with a capital 'D'. Since when did he suddenly get a thing for Lita?" John asked.

Stephanie again had no idea where all of this was coming from. She looked at the two shot glasses that sat in front of John on the bar.

"John, how much have you had to drink?" She asked now quite concerned.

"Not nearly enough. Tell your brother that if he does anything to Lita I will beat him to within inches of his life. Got it?" John spat and then walked away.

Stephanie sat in total shock. What did he mean by Shane having a thing for Lita she wandered.

As the thoughts swarmed through Stephanie's head, Triple H came up behind her, placing his hands on her hips lovingly.

"What's up Steph? I'm starting to feel neglected." Triple H said flirtatiously.

"It's John. Something he said about Lita and Shane has me a little worried."

Triple H rolled his eyes. If there was ever a buzz kill it was Shane McMahon. The guy was quickly becoming a plague to his existence.

"Listen Steph, who cares? John and Shane-O hate each other. Not that I like John or anything, I don't, but Shane's been trying to make John's life a living hell. Somehow Lita's in the middle. Who care's though babe? It's just a pissing contest between John and Shane." Triple H replied hoping Stephanie would just let the whole thing drop.

Stephanie loved her brother more than anything but at the same time hated that he was so stubborn. If he didn't like somebody he would do just about everything in his power to make that person look stupid. He did it to her on many occasions if he didn't agree with the type of guy she was dating. He was now targeting John, but there was no way Stephanie would just forget about this. John was obviously upset about something and Shane was behind it. Stephanie would go straight to the source to find out what was going on; Shane.

OOoooooooOOOOOooOOOOO

As Shane entered Lita's apartment he held in his right hand the bottle of wine she had requested earlier. Instead of his usual shirt and tie he was dressed in blue jeans and a button down shirt. Definitely a more relaxed look than what Lita was used to.

Lita was dressed gym shorts and a tank top. For her part she was pretty much ready to go to bed. All she wanted was to spend a few moments getting to know the other side of Shane and then going to sleep. Shane was right, she did owe him at least a conversation. The guy had been a jerk in the past but was really trying to make amends for it now. Besides, Lita was still venting over the comment John had made earlier, a little red wine and an ear to bend would make her feel a whole lot better.

As Shane opened the wine and handed Lita the bottle he decided to sit a safe distance from her on the couch. Not too far, but not too close. He was careful not to scare her away.

"So what's on your mind Lita. Like I said, I'm here to listen." Shane said as he watched her drink straight from the bottle. It was a far cry from the women he had been used to.

"First off I want to know if this is just all an act or is this the real Shane McMahon?' Lita asked not willing to just spill her guts just yet to a man she considered somewhat of a stranger.

"Okay, being honest? The real me is an asshole. I have to be. I'd never make it as a businessman if I wasn't and look at my father. Look at what I have to live up to." Shane confessed. "But if you're wandering if what I told you earlier is true, it is. You make your own judgment. If the flowers aren't enough to convince you, then me telling you I love you won't do much good either. I'm not here to pressure you Lita, I'm here to be your friend."

Was this really Shane McMahon? The guy who tried to make John's life a living hell? The guy who had been rumored to be sleeping with not just one WWE diva, but several? The same guy who only weeks ago had threatened to have Lita suspended if she didn't stay away from John Cena?

Lita was certainly not stupid enough to spill her guts to Shane about John, but she did appreciate the company, and again, the wine. She couldn't remember the last time a man she cared about, like John, had gotten her so riled up. So, the more Lita drank the more the words "Fuck John Cena, fuck him!" echoed through her mind.

**A/N:** Chapter 13 and the drama coming soon. You've been warned!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**WARNING - This chapter main contain subject matter disturbing to some readers. Contains sexual situations.**

As Shane and Lita finished off a second bottle of wine, Lita was feeling quite tipsy. She needed someone, she wanted John, but she had to keep reminding herself that she was pissed at him. It was silly and immature, but alcohol will do that to you. It makes the irrational seem rational, and desires seem tenfold. Lita desired John, but what she had before her was Shane.

As Shane notice Lita getting drunker by the minute he decided to help her to bed.

"Lita, you should go to bed. It's almost ten. We had a deal remember?" He said sweetly.

Shane had no intention of leaving. He intended more to close the deal and put the final nail in what would be John's coffin.

"You're right, I really should get to bed." Lita replied and then wrapped her arms around Shane in a lazy embrace. "Thank you Shane for coming by." She said feeling herself falling asleep as she stood.

Shane didn't respond. Instead he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. Laying her down gently he climbed on top of her. Lita sobered at the weight of his body on hers. She had to think twice before she realized this was not a dream, but was real. Shane McMahon, not John Cena, was starting to make love to her.

oooOOOOOoooOOOOOooOOOOOOOOo

As Stephanie and Triple H were leaving the bar, Stephanie noticed John hunched over at a table in the corner with his head down. It was obvious that he had way too much to drink and would need a ride home.

Stephanie tapped Triple H on the shoulder and pointed in John's direction.

"We have to give him a ride home Paul." Stephanie told him.

Triple H rolled his eyes. That was the last thing he wanted to do was help out a guy who had the WWE Championship belt he felt was rightfully his. It's not like were buddies, or anything even remotely close to it.

"You're kidding me right? John's a big boy, he can find his own ride home Steph. Why do we have to get involved?" Triple H responded.

Stephanie responded back with a raised eyebrow and an evil look in Triple H's direction. Triple H had seen that look before. He knew not to argue.

Stephanie walked over to John and tapped him on the shoulder. John slowly raised his eyes with a grin on his face once he saw Stephanie and Triple H standing there. His head was throbbing and he knew the best thing for him right now would be to just sleep off the night. Unfortunately for John though, he was a stubborn S.O.B.

"Hey Triple H, come to get in some more cheap shots? Go ahead, I'm drunk, now's your chance." John slurred.

Triple H growled. If John wanted him to beat his ass he gladly would have, but it would be in the ring only. Stephanie held Triple H back just in case though. She did not want two of her most high profile wrestler fighting in a bar.

"John, how about we give you a ride home?" Stephanie offered.

John laughed. There was no way he was getting into a vehicle with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. He may have been drunk, but he wasn't stupid. For all his clouded mind figured, Triple H would drop him off in the middle of no where and make him walk home.

"No thanks lady boss man." John said holding up his hand. " I'll get a taxi if you don't mind."

Triple H smirked. He was thankful that for once he and John were on the same page. He looked down at Stephanie.

"Hey, we tried. Let's go."

Stephanie looked at John one last time with concern and then walked away making sure to call a cab before leaving.

As John got to his feet he wobbled slightly. He looked at his watch.

"Ten fifteen, it's still early." He said to himself.

It took less then a few minutes for a taxi to arrive.

"Where you headed?" The driver asked.

"Boston." John responded. Sobering slightly he then changed his mind.

"On second thought, take me to 54th Street".

John needed to see Lita. Drinking himself to death would do him no good and definitely wasn't going to make things right between them. A completely sober John would have waited until morning before talking to Lita, or even seeing her for that matter, but the more inebriated John felt that he must see her now, and that's what he intended to do.

oooOOOooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOoo

Shane descended upon Lita with his lips, hands and body all at once. Quicker than what Lita had been used to but nonetheless creating a need in Lita had been left unfulfilled the last time she and John had touched each other. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was Lita's own self need, what ever it was, Lita did not resist Shane in the slightest.

As Shane worked quickly to remove Lita's clothes and unzip the zipper to his jeans, Lita's sobering mind was gaining focus, but still she did not fight. Shane was working his way around Lita's body as if he'd done the same thing a million times before and Lita was letting him. She could hear a voice in the back of her head urge her to tell him to stop, but for whatever reason the words never actually came out and she would soon regret that they didn't.

When Shane finally entered inside of her, Lita winced from the pain, a sound that went unnoticed by Shane. There were no words exchanged, no caressing, this was simply sex at it's rawest from. Lita lay beneath Shane feeling her soul being stripped and practically raped from her. Shane was raping her not in the traditional physical sense, but more in the emotional sense. Shane's movements were methodical and detached. To him, Lita could have been any number of women. She was nothing more than a vehicle for his own personal use and self gain.

As Shane got closer to where he wanted to be, his body penetrated inside of Lita mercilessly. A single tear began to roll down her cheek. If Shane loved her so much as he claimed, then why did this hurt so bad? The question haunted Lita as she waited for it all to end.

When Shane was finished he let out one final gasp and rolled off of Lita to the side of the bed. His breath was still quite heavy as he lay next to her indulging in the gratification of his actions. Lita on the other hand rolled to her side and curled up like a child. The single tear that had escaped from her eyes only moments ago, had now become two, three, four more tears.

Once Shane had regained his composure he turned to Lita and leaned in close to her ear. His warm breath penetrating like a fire.

"Tell John you're one hell of a fuck" He said smiling to himself.

Lita immediately felt sick to her stomach. How could she not see before that this is what the flowers were all about? Shane had used her to stick it to John in a way he knew would hurt John the most. Not only take his girl, but sleep with her as if she were simply a piece of meat.

Before Shane left Lita's apartment he quickly fixed himself by zipping up his jeans, adjusting the collar to his shirt and running a hand through his dark hair.

"You're welcome for the flowers by the way. See you next week baby doll."

And that was it. Just as quickly as Shane had arrived, he was now gone leaving Lita by herself and withering in her own guilt.

OOOOOooooooOOOOOOoOOooooooooooOOOOO

In the meantime, John's taxi pulled up just across the street from Lita's town home. John recognized right away the black Range Rover parked outside and knew exactly who the owner of it was. The personalized license plate was a dead give away "WWEMAC2".

"Damn it!" John cursed to himself and then punched the seat of the car hard.

"Hey, watch it buddy!" The driver yelled back.

"Sorry bro. Listen, I changed my mind again. I need to get to Boston. Get me the hell out of here." He demanded.

The driver rolled his eyes. This is exactly why the weathered driver hated drunks. No matter how normal they may look, they're all loose cannons.

As the taxi sped away, Shane exited Lita's front door, climbed into his truck and left leaving an unsettling stillness in the air. A calm before the storm.

The full moon hung high in the night sky creating an almost haunting contrast between light and dark. Lita and John would spend the night apart and alone, but little did they know that each one had shared the same torment. Neither one of them would get much sleep tonight and neither one would be able to erase the final images of the day.

**A/N:** Well how's that for drama? I hope it wasn't too over the top. Like I said earlier, this story has just kind of carried me away. My brain hurts now with all the updating. I'll try to have a new chapter soon, but I don't want to rush anything. I'm loving the feedback and it really is helping me to keep this story moving. Thank you once again!


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

When John arrived the following week for Raw, he was already not looking forward to the event. Even though he was drunker than he had been in a long time, John will never forget seeing that damn black Range Rover parked outside of Lita's condo. For John the past week was spent asking himself why. Why did he have to be such a jerk the last time he saw Lita at the hotel? Why was Shane at her apartment? Why did he care so much about her after all the baggage she brought with her? Why, why why? The words screamed into his brain. As a result, he let his anger burn deeper inside of him by the day. It was either that or drink himself to death. He was a wrestler though, he decided that anger would probably be the better option.

"John, you're late. You know our policy on tardiness." Stephanie said as she saw John arrive.

"So fine me." John responded nonchalantly. He had just about enough of the entire McMahon family.

"I don't want to fine you John, that's why I'm giving you a warning now." Stephanie said softly. She really did have John's best interest at heart and knew that if Vince had been the once who caught him strolling in a half hour late he would have been fined right on the spot, no questions asked.

"Thanks." John said and kept walking.

As John was leaving, Shane approached Stephanie.

"I see John finally decided to show up. I guess being The Champ is starting to go to his head." Shane smirked.

The more John screwed up, the more Shane loved it. He wanted nothing more than to prove to Stephanie that he was not the future of the WWE as his sister hoped and intended him to be. Shane continued.

"Maybe I should have a talk with him. Remind him of the rules." Shane said and started to walk off.

Stephanie grabbed his arm before he could leave.

"Wait a second big brother. First of all I don't want you ruffling John's feathers right now. I'm concerned about him, he doesn't need you in his face. As a matter of fact, I was thinking about changing the card tonight and giving him the night off." Stephanie said.

"That's bull shit Steph. I had a cage match planned for him and dad already approved it. You can't do that." Shane pouted like a ten year old.

Stephanie had heard enough. She was sick and tired of the way Shane had been acting and she wanted to get down to the bottom of it once and for all. Not only was whatever he was doing hurting John, but now Lita was involved in some way or the other. She just didn't quite know how yet.

Stephanie looked around and then quietly said in a controlled tone.

"Shane, we need to talk. Now!"

Shane's eyes lit up. It was obvious Stephanie was pissed. As the McMahon smirk crossed his lips, Stephanie grabbed him roughly by the arm and pulled him to her office.

OOooooooOOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As John made his way through the backstage area he stopped as soon as he saw Lita. There she was, still in street clothes looking more beautiful than ever. But, behind the beauty lie a sadness John couldn't ignore. He noticed the fake smile she tried to force on he lips as her and some of the other divas stood there talking. It's not like she had necessarily been known to have a bubbly personality to begin with, hers was more warmth than sparkle, but even the warmness was now gone. If there was ever a time that Lita needed John to approach her and tell her that things would be alright, it was now.

John stood by though watching from a distance. He remembered back to when they were just about to make love. How his hands had touched her body. How her breaths begged him for more. He imagined himself kissing her lips and tasting her sweetness. But there she was, still a mystery to John.

"Hey man, you better get dressed." John turned to see Shawn Michaels. "You're cutting the first promo tonight."

John nodded to Shawn.

"Yeah, thanks bro." He responded as Shawn left.

When John turned back to Lita she was gone. He cursed himself for the way things felt. Everything was strange now. For all he knew Lita hated him. She hated him so much that she would actually turn to the one man that would prove to be nothing but poison. A man that had simply bought his way into her heart. How could she, he asked himself. How could she let Shane McMahon into her home? John desperately needed answers and whether Lita liked it or not, he would get them.

ooOOOOOOOOoooOOOooooooooo

"Okay Steph. What is it?" Shane asked

"Something's going on with John and Lita and you have something to do with it. I want to know what it is." Stephanie demanded.

Shane raised his hands innocently.

"Whoa, what makes you think I have anything to do with it? All I know is their little fling was a disruption in the locker room and I've put an end to it. You should be thanking me Steph." Shane replied.

"Yeah Shane, why don't you worry about putting an end to your own flings and stop muddling into people's personal lives. I'm head of the creative department. I'll worry about the talent around here." Stephanie said as she moved closer to Shane practically getting right into his face.

Shane smiled at the comment. As far as he was concerned it was his right to have whatever 'fling" he decided, when he decided. It was one of the benefits to being part owner of the biggest wrestling entertainment company in the world. But as for the wrestlers, they had no right. Shane had seen time and again how backstage relationships and dramatics often equaled poor performance in the ring. All of this translated into less revenue for the company.

"What do you have against John Cena anyway?" Stephanie continued.

"It's simple Steph. I am dad's only son and just because you married Hunter and your self made 'golden boy' John Cena is now a big shot doesn't mean you'll be running the company. I'm the Crowed Prince of the WWE, not you." Shane replied with anger in his voice.

"Shane, we're brother and sister. This is not a competition. You should be happy John is putting so many butts in the seats. It's a benefit to all of us." Stephanie replied.

"Sorry Steph", Shane said as he kissed the top of his sister's head, "I just don't see it that way. John's nothing but trouble. If you can't see it, I'm going to make damn sure that at least dad does one way or another."

As Shane walked toward the door he turned back at Stephanie.

"It's just business, nothing personal." He said tossing her a wink

Without paying attention, Shane opened the door and ran right into Triple H. The impact gave Shane a bit of a startle.

"Hunter. If I were you I'd stay away from my sister right now. I think it's that time of the month if you know what I mean." Shane said amused with the comment, and then left.

Triple H walked into Stephanie's office.

"What's going on with you and numb nuts there?" He asked.

Stephanie rubbed her forehead. She was tired of having to put out fires all the time backstage. Someone was always complaining, someone was always unhappy. The last person she expected to have to deal with right now was her older brother. It was obvious that Shane was determined to make John's life a living hell while at the same time being a royal pain in the ass her and everyone else. Stephanie decided that her big bro would need to be taught a lesson in humility. Maybe then would he learn to respect other people's personal lives.

"Oh we were just having a little chat." Stephanie replied.

As Triple H came up and wrapped his arms around her waist he went in for a kiss. Stephanie ran a hand through his long hair but then pulled back when a light bulb went off in her head.

"Tell Ric Flair I need to see him right away." She suddenly demanded.

Triple H pulled back and looked at her with a quizzical look on his face. Did she really need to see him now? And Why the hell was she telling HIM what to do?

"Can't we just finish what we…" Triple H began but was cut off when Stephanie put a finger to his lips to shut him up.

Staring up at him with puppy dog eyes she pleaded.

"Please Hunter?" She said.

Triple H growled under his breath, it was no use fighting. As instructed, he turned and left immediately to find Ric Flair, not bothering to ask why. He knew already that the shit was about to hit the fan for somebody. He prayed he would not have to be involved.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Hey you're looking pretty ragged, you been out partying?" Edge asked Lita as she laced up her boots.

"Not exactly. It's just been a really long week. I'd just rather not be here at all." She responded.

After all the shit that Edge and Lita had been through, after all the hurt and both their names being dragged in the mud, both remained friends. They had to. Vince had managed to drag their storyline on longer than either one of them anticipated or even wanted.

"Anything I can help with?" Edge asked.

"No. I think it's best we just stick to our agreement. We start getting too friendly, people will start talking again." Lita said with a half smile.

Edge rolled his eyes. The big contracts, the groupies, the Superstar treatment was all well and good, but there was a price to pay. Both he and Lita had learned that lesson already. John Cena was starting to learn it as well.

"You're right. " Edge smiled at Lita and was just about to leave when he remembered something. "By the way, John was asking about you earlier."

Upon hearing these words, Lita perked up for a moment. Even though she was pissed at John for his insensitive comment to her at the hotel the previous week and had some real worries about his jealousy, she wanted him in her life. Problem for her now though was she didn't feel worthy enough for his love. After sleeping with Shane McMahon how could she even face him? She had tried desperately to forget that it even happened, but she couldn't erase that night out of her mind. She cursed herself for getting drunk, but cursed herself even more for not getting drunk enough so she could have just forgotten the whole thing. Blacking out would have been much better than to actually know what was happening.

"What did he want?" Lita asked.

"He didn't say. Just asked if I had seen you yet, which I hadn't. There something going on with you two?" Edge asked.

"No, not really. We're just friends." Lita replied trying to cover the truth.

"Friends, I see." Edge knew she was lying. There was a time when she and he were just friends too. Men and women can't be 'just friends' especially when both were two very attractive people. Sex always got in the way. "Well that's too bad. John's a cool guy and I think he really likes you. A lot." Edge said smiling wide and then left.

Yeah, that was all she needed to hear. Lita and John had shared something so beautiful and now everything was so messed up, and so quickly. One minute the two are making love in the back seat of a car like giddy school kids, the next minute John is acting like a jealous child and Lita ends up sleeping with a manipulating bastard like Shane. As Lita kept replaying the whole scenario in her mind, she heard a voice from someone she had hoped never to hear from or see again.

"Hey Lita, so did you tell John about our 'date' the other night?" Shane said to Lita with a smug look on his face.

Looking at him now Lita couldn't believe she actually saw Shane in a way that might indicate he was somehow sincere about having a thing for her, that he truly wanted to make amends for being such a jackass. How could she not have seen that all he wanted was to fuck with her and John's lives and put another notch in his belt while doing it.

"Come on baby doll, I know you can talk. I've been on the receiving end of that sharp mouth of yours." Shane continued and then leaned in closer. He wanted to make sure he got as far under her skin as possible. "I also know how sweet that mouth of yours tastes."

Within seconds and without a word, Lita reared back and slapped Shane across the face as hard as she could, instead of humoring him with a verbal comeback. Then, as Shane turned back to face her again holding his cheek, she shoved him hard against the wall. The impact of which briefly took Shane's breath away.

"Go to hell Shane!" Lita spat.

All of her anger directed in only his direction. The thought of beating someone to death never crossed her mind before, but Shane had changed all that. If there were no repercussions for such an act, Lita would have done just that to Shane.

By now some of the other wrestlers had seen what was happening and grabbed Lita pulling her away from Shane. It was obvious she was about to start wailing on him and her peers wanted to put a stop to it before she got herself into real trouble with the McMahon's.

While some of the guys went to check on Shane, Lita pulled herself away from the crowd fuming in anger. She could literally feel her body temperature rising. As she turned the corner, she met John Cena with a crash. Both of them practically bouncing off of each other from the impact. Luckily for Lita, John was quick enough to grab her by the arm before she fell completely to the floor.

oooOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOO

As Triple H reemerged into Stephanie's office, Ric Flair followed behind. Stephanie stood up and greeted Ric with a light, but friendly, kiss on the cheek. Ric responded of course with a "Whooooo" in a jokingly manner.

Triple H and the entire McMahon family had known Ric for a long time. There were practically no secrets between them and when it came to Triple H and Ric they were like brothers.

"So Ric, I asked you to come by because I need to ask you a favor." Stephanie began.

"I'll do it!" Ric responded with a huge smile on his face.

Triple H and Stephanie looked at each other. Stephanie hadn't even him asked him the favor yet. That was Ric though, he knew Stephanie and Triple H too well to know that whatever the favor was involved some sort of shenanigans, and he wanted to be part of it.

**A/N: **I know a short chapter, but at least the update was pretty quick. For those of you that continue to send reviews, you are a Godsend. The feedback is awesome and helpful in guiding me through this story (which I must say has been enjoyable to write thus far. All these characters are so fun to write. lol). For those of you who have not sent in reviews, please don't be shy. You never know, your feedback may help to shape the future chapters of this story.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

As John held Lita up their stares held for a second. The rage in Lita was now turning to hope as she lost herself in John's eyes. Although to any outsider this brief connection lasted maybe a tenth of a second, to them it lasted a lifetime.

Lita pulled her arm away from John's touch when she quickly realized what had just happened.

"John, I'm sorry, are you okay?" She asked.

"I feel like I was just hit by a bus, but other than that, I'm fine." John's attempt to break the ice helped both of them to settle into the moment.

Lita couldn't stand the lingering awkwardness though. So many things were running through her mind. She wasn't prepared for this chance meeting in the slightest.

"Well, I really need to get going. Edge and I have to run through our lines." She told John, the nerves in her voice overcoming her words.

There was so much more she wanted to say. She wanted John to know that she hated the way things were between them. She wanted to give him another chance. She knew better than anyone that a guy like Shane could get under anyone's skin. For John to take it out on Lita was wrong, but at the same time, Lita could understand that anger. Especially now.

"Well, wouldn't want to hold you up. I'd like to say it was nice running into you, but then again." John said rubbing his neck as if seriously injured. He couldn't help but to make light of the situation, especially since he wasn't sure where Lita would be coming from.

Lita looked around. Her time was running short. She really did need to get going but there were things inside of her that needed to get out. For one, she wanted John to know that she was no longer angry for the way he acted at the hotel and second, she wanted desperately to tell him about Shane. For John to hear it from someone else would be devastating to both of them, and Lita knew that if she didn't tell John, Shane probably would. She was certain that was all part of his plan. To sleep with Lita and then go running to John about it as soon as he could.

"John, before I leave, there's something I need to say." Lita said touching his hand.

John looked down. He had always been known to wear his heart on his sleeve, but because of the still burning image of Shane's black SUV in his mind, he kept his heart protected. No matter how hard he tried to be the 'good guy', he just couldn't shake the underlying jealousy within him. Why could he not trust that Lita would tell him what really happened that night when she was ready? Maybe it was all innocent, but in John's mind it was just too damn easy to jump to conclusions. Shane had seduced Lita with flowers, charm and lies. Lita was at her most vulnerable. How could John not draw his own conclusions? He wanted answers and he wanted them now. More importantly, he wanted to hear it from Lita.

Just as Lita was about to speak, Shane came around the corner, still holding his chin from the slap he received earlier.

Shane had decided long ago that after sleeping with Lita he would 'leave her alone' for the most part. He had gotten the ammo he needed against John and his issue had always been with him, not Lita. Lita just happened to be conveniently available to help him get what he wanted. BUT, after Lita decided to get a little physical with him, Shane decided all bets were off. He wanted Lita to pay for embarrassing him in front of the other wrestler's just moments ago. Upon seeing Lita and John together, he couldn't have asked for a better opportunity.

"So Lita, have you broken the news to John yet?" Shane asked as he came up behind Lita and wrapped his arms around her waist.

As soon as the words spilled from Shane's mouth Lita knew what was coming. Her faced cringed as once again she felt her soul dying, just as it did the night Shane had her beneath him in her own bed.

"Get your hands off of me Shane." Lita demanded as she pushed Shane's hands off of her waist.

Shane backed away and folded his arms across his chest. He was sure to keep a good distance away from both Lita and John. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of another punch to the face from either one of them.

"That's funny. That's not what you were saying the other night. But John should know how wild you can be in the bedroom right John? Or haven't you had the pleasure yet?" Shane said with a smile stretched across his face.

The smile though soon disappeared as he saw the anger in John's face. Shane accomplished what he needed to accomplish and now it was time to get the hell out of there. All that was left to do was watch as John slowly began to self destruct. Vince would notice the change in John right away and before he knew it, John would soon be finding himself in mid card hell. Just like Matt Hardy, just like Paul London, Shelton Benjamin and so many other talented wrestlers.

Like being buried alive, all of John's worse fears were now confirmed. Why didn't Lita just tell him? Why did she sleep with Shane McMahon in the first place? In John's mind there was no excuse for it. He couldn't help but to think at that moment that Lita was no better than Shane.

As Shane walked away, Lita held her eyes closed. She couldn't look at John, but she could feel his anger. Shane had made it sound so simple. As if Lita simply fucked Shane for kicks without any regard to John's feelings at all. What John needed to know was that Lita was seduced by Shane at her lowest moment. She needed to tell him that not only were her senses weakened from the alcohol, but her mind had been weakened as well. How she hated herself more than anything and how she needed John to simply hold her.

"John, please." Lita reached for John's hand again.

John simply pulled away and turned his back to her.

"Is what he said true? Did you fuck him Lita?" John asked point blank.

Lita looked to the ground. What could she say? Regardless of how or why it happened, it happened.

"Yes." Lita replied. A tear now streaming through her makeup.

John felt his whole body explode. As hard as he could he punched the wall next to him. The impact left his knuckles bright red. If he didn't break his hand it would be due only to dumb luck.

Lita raised a hand to her mouth. John was hurting and it was all her fault. It was obvious that John didn't want to be near her right now and pointless for Lita to even try to calm him down. Her presence would only make things worse.

So as John stood with his back held to Lita and his fists clenched, Lita slowly walked away to join Edge for their segment. She paused for one second to take another look at the man she loved. She watched him as he studied his throbbing hand. In the back of her mind she was determined to make things right again no matter what the cost.

ooOOOooooOOOOOOOOOooooOOOOOO

While Shane watched Lita and Edge's spot from a monitor in the back he could see the anguish in Lita's face and smiled. It felt good when a plan came together he thought to himself.

"Hey Shane-O!" Triple H called out as he approached him. "Candice was looking for you."

"Oh yeah?" Shane responded nonchalantly.

"Yeah, she said it had something to do with her trip down under." Triple H responded, barely able to hold back his laughter.

"Down under huh?" Shane said with a smirk.

Beyond getting bitch slapped by a woman, Shane figured this night was going pretty well. What better way to cap it off than to meet with Candice for what always proved to be no work and all play.

"Yeah, I imagine she was referring to the trip to Australia we've got coming up." Triple H clarified trying hard to act oblivious to the obvious sexual innuendo of his words.

"Yeah, right, Australia. I'm sure that's what she meant. So where is she?" Shane asked anxiously.

"Last I saw her she was waiting in that office down there to the right." Triple H said as he pointed in the direction of where Shane needed to go.

"Alright, thanks man." Shane responded as he gave Triple H a pat on the shoulder, his smile wide.

Wasting no time at all, Shane left to meet Candice. He certainly didn't want to keep her or himself waiting. As Shane dashed down the hallway Triple H watched. An evil grin stretching across his face.

**A/N: **Hi all! Just wanted to mention if you feel inclined, please visit the WWE Fan Fiction Library Awards website at http/www.libraryawards. and vote for me, Beth. I think nominations have just begun and there are a lot of great stories on that site. So, if you don't want to nominate me, nominate someone else. I'm okay with that (sobs), really I am. Anyway, hope you like the update. Please let me know. Another update will be following soon.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

When Shane entered the office as directed by Triple H the room was dark. Almost pitch black dark. Standing by the window was the silhouette of someone with their back turned. As Shane approached the barely viewable figure he started loosening his tie. Getting closer he then began to unbutton the first few buttons of his shirt. Moving in even closer he then un-tucked shirt and undid the buckle to his belt.

"Trip down under huh? Baby doll I'll take you anywhere you want to go." Shane said as he wrapped one hand around the waist of the image before him, while the other grabbed all ass.

"Damn Shane, I knew you got around but this is ridiculous." Ric Flair said as he quickly turned around to face one stunned Shane McMahon. A cigar hanging between the smile now formed on his mouth.

Before Shane could react, Flair moved toward him and quickly gave him a kiss on the lips. Kissing Shane isn't exactly what Flair was asked to do, but Flair wanted to screw with Shane's head a little. From what Stephanie and Triple H had told him, Shane had been a little prick lately and Ric had been sent to teach him a lesson. A little peck on the lips was harmless in Ric's mind and only added to his own personal enjoyment of Shane's overall humiliation.

Shane immediately fell backward trying desperately to get away from Flair as he frantically wiped his lips and spat out whatever man germs he had left on his mouth. The sight had Flair laughing hysterically as Shane looked more like a fish on dry land gasping for air than the multi-million dollar heir of the WWE.

While Shane gathered himself and got back to his feet he covered his mouth and stared, still in shock, at Flair.

"Can't wait to tell the boys what a great kisser you are Shane-O." Ric said and then blew him a kiss as he left the office closing the door behind him.

OOOoooooOOOOOOooooOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo

As John sat in the hospital waiting for the results from his MRI, Stephanie McMahon entered the room.

"Any news yet?" She asked.

John shook his head. Since arriving to the hospital to have his hand examined John had nothing better to do but think. His hand was numb from the pain and he knew the prognosis would not be good. Everything seemed to go from bad to worse. In his mind Lita was nothing more than a curse.

As the doctor entered the room, John and Stephanie anxiously awaited the results.

"Well, your hand is broken in five different areas young man. You'll have to wear a cast for the next six weeks. We urge you to stay away from anything physical for now. That means staying out of the ring for a while." The doctor suggested.

Cena couldn't believe what he was hearing. Worse yet, Stephanie McMahon was there to hear it first hand the results herself. There would be no sugar coating the truth.

As the doctor left, Stephanie put a hand on John's shoulder.

"John I'm sorry." She said sincerely.

Unfortunately for her she had more bad news to give John. She had a show to run and a roster to maintain. With John being in a cast for the next six weeks, there would be no way he could wrestle. Stephanie needed a champion who could wrestle, at least until they got through the next pay-per-view.

"I'll start working with the writers on a new angle for you." Stephanie said.

"A new angle, what do you mean?" John asked, knowing exactly what she meant.

"We need a champ that can wrestle John. You'll have to give up the belt. We'll keep you in the storylines though for the time being. When you're back to full strength we'll consider giving it back, but for now, it's got to go to someone else." Stephanie confided.

John lowered his head. Everything that he had worked so hard for was now being taken away.

"Fuck this!" He raged startling Stephanie.

"John, I don't like it anymore than you do. It's what has to be done." Stephanie pleaded hoping somehow to calm him down and make him understand her side of thing.

"Oh I get it, so you're going to take the belt away from me, give it to Triple H, and then go and have a good laugh with your piece of shit brother right?" John said venomously.

"John, that's not true. I've been fighting for you for a long time now. This isn't what I want to do, it's what I have to do." Stephanie said raising her voice.

She didn't appreciate the accusations John was throwing her way. Besides, she should not have to defend herself for making these kinds of decisions. She was the boss and right or wrong, this is what had to be done. Stephanie continued.

"I'm sorry you feel the way you do John, but maybe you should consider the fact that you are the one who decided to put his hand through a wall, not me." Stephanie said as she walked off.

John knew she was right. He was losing control and had to somehow control the emotions that tormented him inside.

Before Stephanie left she offered John a few parting words.

"By the way, I don't think you'll have to worry about Shane at least for a little while. He'll have his hands full trying to explain his own behavior to the boys in the locker room and more importantly to dad. I suggest you start taking care of yourself John. Whatever has happened between you and Lita is your business, but Lita's a good person. Don't let a good thing slip away just because people tell you it's wrong. Look at Hunter and me. People have been saying all kinds of things about our relationship, but to us it's all worth it."

And with those words Stephanie was gone.

oooOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo

As John drove back to the hotel he thought hard about what Stephanie had said. "Lita was a good person." In his heart John knew she was right. Lita was a good person. Good people sometimes do stupid things. John himself would have to admit he's done a million of them. Looking at his hand he laughed. That was definitely one of them.

But the awful truth of it all was that Lita was a grown woman. She could have slept with practically any other man and the blow would not have been as lethal to John. But Shane? Lita knew Shane hated John. She herself had helped John fend off his cheerleading cronies and Triple H as well. She knew first hand what Shane was capable of. Why would she willingly sleep with him simply because he gave her flowers? It made no sense at all. It pissed him off more than anything that he didn't have all the answers. He loved Lita and could not let her go, but to be second to a man like Shane? He would not be any part of it.

"Fuck it!" He cursed to himself. "Lita's not the only woman out there. What's good for the goose is good for the gander."

As the words rang through his brain, John picked up his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Candice? Hey, it's me John."

**A/N:** So do you all think I let Shane off a too easy? You think John is making a mistake? Thoughts, rants, general overall babble? All are welcome. Thanks!


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"John, hi, this is a nice surprise." Candice said as soon as she picked up the line and heard John on the other end.

"Sorry it's late I know." John said.

"That's okay, I'm glad you called. What can I do for you?" Candice said flirtatiously.

"It's been a rough week. I need to party, you interested?"

John had thought his booty call days were over and couldn't help but to feel just a little guilty. Sure Candice was beautiful, but in all honesty, she was not the kind of woman John would ever dream of having a relationship with.

Candice's eyes lit up. She had been trying to seduce John for quite a while now. She really wasn't all that concerned to know why he had now suddenly decided that he wanted her company. All she knew was that she was more than willing to accompany him when and wherever he liked.

"You know it baby. What did you have in mind?" Candice asked.

"How about we meet for drinks. There's a place on 3rd street right around the corner from the hotel. It's pretty quiet. No one will notice us there." John suggested.

"Sounds good. See you in a few sexy." Candice replied and then hung up the line.

John closed his cell phone. He had to keep reminding himself that this was a good idea. Why the fuck did he want to waste his time being the good guy anyway, when guys like Shane McMahon were off fucking everybody over without a care in the world? Why did he care anymore what Lita would think? She obviously didn't care about what he would think when she slept with Shane.

John checked himself in the mirror as he stared down at the caste that now covered his hand. Although his jealousy and anger was slowly winning the battle over his common sense, in the end he wandered, would it steal his soul as well?

ooOOOOooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo

As Candice hung up with John she clicked over to the other line.

"Listen Shane, I have to go. Tonight's not really a good night for me." She told the heir apparent. With John now seemingly in the picture, she really didn't feel the need to have to subjugate herself to Shane's overly active libido.

Shane of course was still trying to wash away any presence of Ric Flair from both his mind and his mouth. He figured one night with Candice would do the trick.

"Let me guess, you've got a date with another extremely good looking millionaire who runs part of the company you work for." Shane said sarcastically somewhat annoyed by the fact that Candice was brushing him off.

"No, but I do have an engagement with a certain WWE Title holder since you mentioned it." Candice said smiling to herself.

She loved the fact that she could give Shane a hard time after all the crap she had to put up with just to get the pushes and Playboy Magazine layouts.

"And from what I hear, he's 100 into women." She continued, this time laughing out loud.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shane responded.

"Let's just say news travels fast lover boy." She said and then hung up the phone before Shane could go off on his own little tirade.

On the other end, Shane was livid. He wanted to kill Flair for what he had done. But before he could get too angry, he thought back to what Candice had just said. She had a date with the WWE title holder. That of course could only mean one man.

ooOOooOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo

As Lita filled the tub with water, she looked forward to taking a nice long bath to relax her body, and somehow her mind. Her hope was that somehow she could wash away that feeling of loneliness eating her up inside. The sudden urge to listen to country music overcame her, and although she had not lost her dog, she had lost the one man she truly and deeply cared about in her life. Lita told herself that if she were to get just one more chance to speak with John, she would lay everything on the line. She no longer cared about looking like an idiot. She had already done that when she decided to let Shane take advantage of her. She no longer cared what Vince, Stephanie or anyone in the locker room thought in regards to her feelings for John. Without him in her life everything she earned within the WWE would seem meaningless and unfulfilling.

Before Lita submerged herself in the bathtub, she noticed her cell phone lying on the bed. One quick call just to make sure John was okay, then maybe she could get a sense of peace for the night.

She flipped up the phone and anxiously dialed John's cell phone number. As she placed the phone to her ear she bit her lip wandering how John would respond. She prayed he would not hang up on her.

ooOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOOoooooooooOOOo

John sat across from Candice in the darkened restaurant with a glass of Jack and Coke before him He felt a buzzing on his hip and knew that someone was trying to call. Just as he was about to check the number, Candice came up behind him and covered his eyes.

"Hey sexy, guess who?" She said in a sultry voice.

John played along.

"One of the sexiest WWE divas I know?" He responded, almost forcing the words out.

Candice smiled and removed her hands from his eyes. John glanced down at his phone. Too late, the caller had hung up.

"So John, what's your poison?" Candice asked referring to what he was drinking.

John laughed inside at the irony of her question. It was obvious she was the poison.

"Jack and Coke." He said.

John waved down the waitress and asked for two more of the same.

As John's eyes wandered the room, Candice grabbed for his hand wasting no time. It was clear that John really didn't want to be there. Candice didn't want to either. If she had her choice the two of them would be back in her hotel room getting to know each other in a more physical sense.

"Strong, silent type huh?" Candice asked, trying hard to open John up.

"Oh, sorry, just not in the mood to talk I guess." John responded.

"Really, well then what are you in the mood for?" Candice asked, moving her seat closer to Johns and placing a hand now on his leg.

As Candice let her hand drift up John's leg, toward his thigh and closer to his crotch, John was relieved when the waitress arrived with the drinks. The interruption was a welcomed one for John.

"Listen Candice, this was a bad idea. I'm more tired than I thought. Guess I'm not really in the mood to party after all." John confessed.

John had hoped that having a few drinks would loosen him up. He had also hoped that Candice would loosen him up, but neither one was working. John simply couldn't get his mind off of Lita. He started to wander if this was all worth it? What exactly was he trying to prove anyway? That he could hurt her more than she hurt him? Deep down inside, John knew that the only person he was hurting was himself. He thought about what Stephanie McMahon had told him: "Don't let a good thing slip away", and Lita was a good thing.

John stared at Candice for a moment. She was hot, there was no doubt about it, but John needed more than just a good fuck. John needed passion, desire and emotion.

Candice gave it one last shot sensing that John was slipping away. She pulled out all the stops as she leaned in close to John and mounted his lap. Taking his face into her hands she engulfed him with a kiss.

Being just a man, John returned what was becoming a heated and passionate exchange, but being more than just a man, John pulled back after only a few short moments.

"I can't do this Candice." John said, his breath heavy.

Candice leaned in again, but this time John turned his head before she could even make contact.

Feeling embarrassed and annoyed, Candice picked herself up off of John's lap. Staring down at him she slapped him hard in the face.

"Thanks for nothing John." She said and then grabbed her purse and left.

John watched as she left, and although his intention was never to hurt Candice's feelings, he was glad it was over. In a sense, he had just passed the hardest test of all. Knowing now that he had no other choice but to be with Lita, he slammed down his drink and headed back to the hotel.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: **To those of you who felt Shane-O got off easy, you may enjoy this chapter. To those of you looking for that John/Lita hook-up…patience is a virtue!

**Chapter 19**

Lita hung up her cell phone almost laughing to herself. She was somewhat relieved that John didn't actually pick up. She had no idea what it was she was going to say or how she would say it, she only knew she needed to talk to him. Maybe it was better he didn't pick up, she reasoned. Hopefully just one more night would help her clear her thoughts.

As Lita turned to the bathroom and stared at the warm water that awaited her in the tub, she slowly began to undress herself. Then suddenly she heard a knock at the door.

Checking the clock, she wandered who in the hell would be stopping by at midnight?

Searching through the peephole, she checked the hallway and saw a man standing at the door. Cracking it open slightly with the chain still hinged, she looked at the man through the doorway. Her shirt now held up against her body to cover herself up.

"You should leave now Shane before I call the cops." She said.

Shane smiled.

"Come on Lita, I've seen you naked before. Open the door." He responded, somewhat amused at how defensive she was being.

"I don't trust you Shane now just leave. I'm serious, I will call the cops." Lita warned.

"I'm not leaving until you open the door baby doll. " Shane said and waited for the door to open. When it didn't he continued. "This is ridiculous. You really think I would try anything? I've already tested the merchandise. You're used goods now Lita, that's not really my style." Shane responded. Again, turning up the smugness factor to an annoyingly high degree.

Lita wanted to puke. As far as Shane was concerned he had two requirements when it came to sleeping with women: boobs and a vagina. Personality and degree of promiscuity didn't play into the picture. Candice was proof of that.

Unfortunately for Lita, she also knew that if she didn't open the door, Shane would not go away. He was stubborn as hell, and quite frankly, was enjoying Lita's obvious discomfort. So instead of standing there at the door all night, she decided to unlock it. She still had her cell phone in her hand, so she figured worse case scenario she could easily call for help, or better yet, use it to beat the crap out of Shane should he try anything unwelcomed.

"Okay, Shane, what do you want?" Lita asked as she unlocked the door and opened it just a tad further.

"Well, because I care so much about you, I wanted to warn you about John." Shane said, puppy dog eyes bearing down on her.

Lita rolled her eyes. She knew Shane was playing his little games and whatever he had to say was probably full of nothing but bull shit. On the other hand, she couldn't help but to wander what she would possibly need to be warned about as it pertained to John.

"John's playing you Lita, he's out with Candice as we speak." Shane continued trying to act seriously concerned for Lita's well being.

Lita tried desperately to act unfazed by the announcement. Even the slightest possibility of John being with Candice would tear her apart. It had to be a lie, Lita reasoned to herself. Shane was just trying to stir things up again, and there was no way John would have anything to do with Candice. That is unless he was just trying to even the score with Lita. As much as Lita didn't want to believe that was true, she knew deep down inside it was a possibility.

"Shane, can you please just go fuck yourself?" Lita responded. She wanted the games to stop and hated the fact that Shane had now planted a seed in her mind that would drive her insane.

Shane smiled back at Lita as he reached out and touched a strand of her hair.

"I'd rather fuck you Lita." He said smiling.

Lita tightened the grip on her cell phone. She couldn't decide if she would rather give Shane a nice hard shot between the legs or another quick right hand to the face. Thankfully, she would not have to decide between either one.

"Yo, Shane-O, I think you need to go back to wherever you came from." John said as he approached Lita's door.

Shane turned quickly, surprised as hell to see John making his way down the hall. For all he knew John would be with Candice for the rest of the night. Lita was also shocked to see John, but unlike Shane, welcomed the unexpected visit.

Shane raised his hands in innocence as he watched John walk directly toward him.

"Cool it John, I didn't touch her." Shane said pleading his case.

John smiled at the Heir Apparent.

"I don't give a damn." He said and then took his right hand, caste and all, and punched Shane so hard that he fell firmly to the ground and was rendered close to unconsciousness.

Lita watched in astonishment. She really didn't expect to see John go off on Shane as quickly as he did. On the other hand, she was happy with the results. It had been long overdue in her mind.

As Shane now lay on the ground, Lita stared at John. She wasn't sure at this point what he was thinking. All she knew was that she owed him an explanation. Not just for the fact that she had even bothered to open her door to Shane, but for everything that had happened in the last few weeks.

"John, it's not what you think, Shane invited himself over. I didn't know he was going to be here." Lita said frantically. The last thing she wanted John believing was that she had invited Shane to her room.

After staring down at Shane, John turned to Lita. He placed a hand behind her neck, just under her long, red hair.

"I know Lita, its okay." He said.

Lita still felt the need to explain. There was so much she yearned to tell him. All she wanted was for him to know why things happened the way they did. She desperately wanted John to understand.

"John. The thing with Shane, it was a mistake, I was upset, I was drunk, I…" Lita tried to finish but John cut her off by placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

Meanwhile Shane struggled to his feet. As soon as John caught sight of his movements, his attention was drawn back over to him. He instantly grabbed Shane by the collar and shoved him against the wall.

"Listen man, I don't give a damn what you do to me, but I want you to leave Lita out of it." John demanded. His whole face showing sturdiness and deathly sincerity.

Shane checked his jaw to make sure it had not been dislocated. Although he was still somewhat out of it, the words that came from John's mouth rang loud and clear. Before Shane could reply, John gave him one final shove against the wall and released him

Shane straightened his shirt and hair and backed away slowly. He was angry as hell, but knew he had been defeated.

"Don't worry John, I don't want to have anything to do with that little whore. Neither you or her are worth my time." Shane responded and then turned and walked away.

John watched Shane leave shaking his head. The simple fact that someone could be such a prick was beyond him. None of that mattered now though. The only thing that mattered to John was the woman he knew for sure he was in love with.

"John, your hand, is it okay?" Lita asked concerned.

"I'll be out of action for a few weeks, but that's not why I'm here." John replied.

Lita rubbed her arm as a breeze from the hallway gave her chills, or so she assumed.

"Can I come in?" John asked as he stared at her face and never let his focus go.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

As John entered Lita's home lowered his head and rubbed the back of his neck. A nervous habit he had developed from childhood. The emotional strain he had been under was wearing on him and he could no longer take it. Somehow, some way, Lita was the only thing that mattered to him right now. The fact that he would have to give up the title to Triple H didn't matter. The fact that he would not be able to wrestle for several weeks, didn't matter. Hell, the fact that Lita had slept with Shane McMahon didn't matter anymore either. John had noticed Lita a long time ago. He had seen her go from Matt to Edge. He had waited. Trying hard to focus on his career. But when the opportunity came to be with the woman he had connected with, nothing else mattered.

"Do you want something to drink?" Lita asked.

She was feeling just as nervous as John, if not more. Holding onto the guilt she felt for letting Shane take advantage of her was not an easy task. Holding on to the guilt of single handedly destroying a relationship she desperately wanted and needed was even harder.

"I'll take a beer if you have one." John responded.

Lita smiled at John. Of course she had a beer. She certainly was not one of those hoity toity kind of gals who only drank spritzers and red wine.

As Lita walked to the kitchen to get John a drink she tried desperately to plan what she was going to say. She still felt the need to explain why she slept with Shane. How she held felt so hurt by John's words and jealousy it weakened her judgment. She by no means wanted to excuse herself from her actions, but it was anything but a simple fuck. Shane had intentionally manipulated her and the anger she felt toward him was sickening inside. But despite that anger, she knew she needed to move on. She needed to forgive herself before she could ever expect John to forgive her. One thing was for sure though, John would know what happened and why. He would know the truth.

"Here you go." Lita said as she handed John a bottle of Heineken.

John took the beer and smiled slightly, raising it to Lita before he took a long drink. God knows he needed one.

"So what brought you by John?" Lita asked somewhat hesitantly. She had still remembered what Shane had mentioned to her about him meeting with Candice earlier that night.

"A revelation." John said using code to describe why he was there.

"A revelation?" Lita asked, laughing a little at John's use of words. "What's that supposed to mean anyway?"

"Let's just say I realized who I want to be with tonight." John replied with a smirk.

Lita's knees almost buckled. Any question she had about John's involvement with Candice had just been answered. Better yet, any question she had about how John felt about her had just been answered as well.

Now it was her turn. She wanted John to know exactly how she felt and where she stood. The words and phrases she had rehearsed over and over in her head would now have to surface.

"John, I…" She started, but John's lips descended on her without warning.

As John pressed his lips against Lita's his hands firmly, but passionately, held her face. He felt as if he could fall asleep with his mouth touching hers and he wanted to make sure she knew that in this moment actions speak louder than words.

The kiss that John gave Lita set a fire within her. She knew at that point there would be no turning back. Everything that she had planned to say earlier was erased from her memory. The only thing left was a deep rooted passion and longing for one Mr. John Cena.

Although John could have lived inside that kiss forever, his body was telling him that he needed to breathe. At some point he needed to breath. So for a moment he pulled away. Both Lita and John had lost their breaths. It was as if someone had reached down inside of them and simply stole it.

"Damn Lita, I need you so bad." John confessed not able to censor his words at this point in time.

He went in to kiss her again, but then pulled away.

"Let me rephrase that, I love you Lita, and I need you."

Then once again John pressed his lips against hers, slipping his tongue delicately between her lips.

For as firmly toned and muscular Lita was on the outside, on the inside she was just a little school girl feeling as if she was being kissed for the first time, and by the most popular boy in the class. She literally wanted to cry when she heard John's words.

Wasting no time John took his hands and stroked her hair. His eyes simply staring into hers. Lita grabbed for his hand and led him to the bedroom. John followed. Both of them knew what was about to happen but they thought more about just being with each other than the act of having sex itself. They longed to feel each other's embrace and get to know not only each other's bodies, but their souls as well. Both of them needed healing and there was a shared feeling that just by being with each other they would be whole again.

Once in the bedroom Lita let go of John's hand as she lay on the bed. John watched her every move as he lifted his shirt over his head, exposing every sculpted muscle on his body.

He threw his shirt aside and then leaned down over Lita on the bed, kissing her as his hands slowly worked around her body. Piece by piece, inch by inch he removed her clothes. First her top, then her panties. While still remaining focused on her lips he broke away every now and again just to taste the rest of her. As he removed her shirt he let his tongue lightly feather her nipples and chest. As he removed her panties he tasted the inside of her thighs and worked closely toward the most intimate of places.

The way that John worked his way around Lita had set her body and mind completely at ease. There was no fear, no uncertainty and no second thoughts. Like a warm bath she sunk into his every touch. With her one hand she stroked the back of John's neck, running her fingers along his hair. It was not ignored by John as goose bumps sprang from his skin. With her other hand Lita traced every muscle on his body starting first with his arm, then his chest and finally down to his abdomen.

As the two continued to move with each other, John finally entered inside of her when he knew she was ready. The rhythm of there bodies working together like a symphony. Neither one taking full control but trading off to make sure the other was completely satisfied with what was happening.

As their breaths grew heavier each had reached their climax simultaneously. When finally it was over their bodies relaxed, but still they held each others embrace.

When John shifted his body to the side he kept Lita in his arms and kissed the top of her head. For Lita it was hard to stay awake. Everything that had been built up inside of her was now gone. She felt at that moment that there was no yesterday, no tomorrow, just now; and now was paradise.

John watched as Lita slowly fell asleep in his arms, he laughed to himself thinking of his WWE character. "The Champ", slayer of men twice his size, a thug. Regardless of all the machismo that went with his in ring persona, John knew one thing for sure, even a simple thug like himself could fall in love.

THE END

**A/N:** That's it! Hope you enjoyed. Please send me your final thoughts, reviews and criticisms. All of your feedback has been a big help with this story and I greatly appreciate it. It's nice knowing what worked and what didn't.

On a side note, I'd like to write another story, but don't have any ideas for one yet. So, if you have an idea for a story that you'd like to see written, please PM me with a list of characters (choose from the list below), and a brief summary of the story you'd like to see. It could even be a sequal to this story, but I would need some sort of storyline. If I get something that I feel excited about and think I can do a decent job of writing, I'll give it a stab.

Anyway, thanks again all!

Male Superstars: Dave Batista, John Cena, Johnny from The Spirit Squad, Chris Jericho, Shane McMahon, Triple H, Edge, Shelton Benjamin, Jeff Hardy

Female Superstars: Stephanie McMahon, Trish Stratus, Candice, Lillian Garcia, Torrie Wilson


End file.
